Just a Crush
by LitLover 101
Summary: What Kol Mikaelson feels for Davina Claire is just a passing infatuation. Right? For this player, the only thing worse than a woman turning him down, is falling for anyone, let alone a girl who has yet to turn eighteen. What's a guy to do? All Human AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own** _ **The**_ _ **Originals**_ **. That honor goes to Julie Plec, Michael Narducci and the CW.**

 **Hello, my lovely readers. I was saving this story, my first full-length Kolvina fic, for an important occasion and after last night's episode, I could no longer resist posting. This fic will be updated monthly. On with the show…**

Chapter 1: Too Young

You'll always remember the day that you looked at this person that made your heart begin to beat all that faster. For me she was just this girl. Not someone that I should have even taken more than a minute to observe. But the way that she flicked her hair over her shoulder and gave her best friend, Josh this look of defiance because he told her that she couldn't jump off the high dive, then marched up the stairs, grinned happily and dove in an arc downward. That was the first time I noticed her.

Now, please, don't think me odd when I admit that Davina Claire was thirteen that first time that she made my heart skip a beat and that I was seventeen. Trust me, I did not feel anything that felt remotely like lust. No, I felt pride. Yes, I know, that no doubt sounds odd, too. It was just that I remembered the first time that my sister's boyfriend, Marcel, who was acting as "Big Brother" in that bloody program for young people at risk, had taken the girl to the pool the year before. For some reason she would not even go into the pool. A year later she was like a bloody dolphin and it was fantastic. Truly, it was.

 **Four** **years** **later:**

"Earth to Kol. Where are you?" Davina called as she waved her small hand directly in front of my face as I stared into space. "Come on, Kol," she called with a loud giggle as I pretended that I did not notice her attempts to gain my attention. She was lovely when she was frustrated, which she was becoming, while her cheeks flushed. "Kol!"

"Yes, darling," I drawled as my eyebrows rose playfully. We were sitting in the library of one of New Orleans' lovely public schools. To be specific, the school that the lovely Davina Claire was finishing her education in prior to college. I was there working as her tutor as I finished my own study of Physics at LSU. Oddly enough, I was attempting to help Davina with her understanding of Shakespeare which was more Nik's thing, the bloody actor in the family, than mine.

"Kol, are you going to help me prepare for my test or not?" Davina growled at me, baring her teeth like a tiny, angry dog-girl before she emitted a tiny snarl in warning. Then the smile erupted, causing my heart to skip once more.

Leaning on my elbow, I picked up the sheet and recited. "To be or not to be?' which play is that from, Davina?"

"That is not one of the prep questions," Davina gasped, reaching out for the sheet when I swept my arm backward in a wide arc behind my back and out of her reach as Davina lunged for it. Her face came within an inch of my own and I felt my eyes widen as Davina looked shocked while she froze in place with her eyes staring steadily into mine.

Leaning backward into my seat, I forced an easy smile. "Why don't we call this session a night and if you have any questions then you'll go ahead and call me. Yes?" I said quickly as I placed the form on the table between us. Getting to my feet, I tried to avoid looking at Davina as she got to her feet and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Sure," Davina replied while tucking her hair behind her ear in that flirty way that drove me wild and if only she were a year or two older I might be throwing her atop this table and making the librarians blush. However, Davina was seventeen and I was twenty-one. The only question was why I was stupid enough to be tutoring her? Because I could not stand to not be near her and this was the only way that I could be near her in which I trusted myself to behave like a gentleman and many who knew me would be shocked that I was capable of doing so.

"You'll let me know how you do, yes?" I inquired as we exited the building and entered the parking lot.

"Of course," Davina told me with a wide smile. She began to walk through the parking lot and headed toward the bus stop.

"Davina, is no one picking you up?" I called after her retreating back.

Davina stopped and then turned to look back at me. "No. Mom has to work this afternoon."

"Do you want to ride with me, love?" I asked her with a smirk. Damn. What was I thinking? With the offer and the flirting. Yes, I was flirting a bit. Shit. If I did anything stupid Marcel and Bekah would roast me over an open fire. Perhaps I could call Lijah or his bitchy girlfriend, Hayley. Or I could just call said girlfriend who once called me a "womanizing, man whore." Just because I came on to her once during a Christmas party because Elijah did not make it clear that she was not a just a friend. Not my fault. My family needed to place labels on what was theirs. Like in the fridge. Except I still ate their food anyway and flirted with their girlfriends. They weren't worthy if they flirted back, unless you counted Bekah's friends.

Walking toward my car, Davina was smiling widely. "Thank you. You're too good to me," she said with a wink as she reached for the handle of the passenger seat which was locked. "Are you going to unlock the door?" Davina asked me with a giggle. Yes, she was a giggly high school girl. This is what I needed to remind myself of every single day of the week.

"Actually, I remembered that I had a date tonight that I really needed to get ready for. But I'm going to call Elijah and see if he might be able to stop by and give you a lift." I informed Davina who was frowning at me which I ignored as I waited for Elijah to pick up.

"What is it, Kol? I'm very busy right now," Elijah snapped into the phone. He probably was busy working for the mayor's office and moving his career along toward becoming the next congressman since he could not run for the presidency, not being born in America and all that.

"I'm sure. But you're getting off work soon, right?" I questioned Elijah who scoffed and my shoulders drooped.

"No, I get off at eight. You know that. Or you would if you ever came in before midnight," Elijah said with his "I'm in the middle of twenty different things and this better be important tone." "What is it that you want, Kol?"

"A friend needs a ride. However, you clearly have better things to do," I snapped before hanging up on his highness, the King of Paperwork.

Punching Hayley's number, I waited with not much hope. When she did not answer, I rolled my eyes and pocketed my phone. Since I knew that Bekah and Marcel had gone off for the night to some "romantic night out" that there was no way that I would be able to pry the two away from each other and Finn was utterly useless. Probably lying on a couch moaning to one of his professors about how we had forever damaged him and that his life was completely ruined. Wish I could get through a PhD program doing that.

"Guess it's just you and me, kid," I proclaimed overly cheery. "We'll have to be quick about this since my date will be waiting and she's not the patient type."

"Sure," Davina replied as I popped the lock and let her into the car. As she sat down, she looked angry while yanking the seatbelt over her chest. "Btw, I'm not a kid," she snapped at me.

"FYI, until your birthday, legally you are," I snapped back as I backed out of the space and headed out of the lot.

"WTF and FU," Davina spat at me with an icy glare before she collapsed into giggles as I gave her a mock shocked look.

"Such a mouth on such a young lady. Can't believe the way that you speak to your elders," I replied in a shaky voice while I narrowed my eyes and pretended that I was a hundred and five. "You apologize right now, young lady, or so help me I will put you over my knee."

"Oh, Kol, I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me," Davina moaned, rolling her head along the seat with a smile on her face.

"Methinks that you are lying. You do not look repentant," I murmured with a wide smile of my own as I took a short cut to the girl's house. I should not have even known where she lived let alone how to get there using a short cut. If I was honest then I would admit that I had sat in my car outside her house before staring up at her bedroom window watching her dance around her room, singing or writing in a journal or whatever it was she was doing sitting beside her window with that intense look on her face. No, I was not stalking her. I think. Does sitting, watching her when you're on your way somewhere else count? Okay. Perhaps that could be semi-stalking.

Leaning toward me, Davina whispered into my ear. "I am NOT repentant." Feeling her breath in my ear, my heart pounded away in my chest and I was quite pleased that she could not hear it.

"We're here. Time to go," I ordered Davina, not daring to look at her.

"But we're a block from my house," Davina replied with a laugh as she looked at me from beneath her eyelashes with one of those looks that someone her age should not be giving anyone. Just the thoughts of her looking at anyone, even a boy her own age, like that drove me into a frenzy.

"The walk will do you good. Bit of fresh air and all that. Doubt they give you proper exercise in that gym class of yours. Plus Bekah told me that she took you out for dinner with Marcel and that you devoured half a three layer chocolate cake. Don't you feel the usual social pressures to be able to fit into skinny jean or some such nonsense?" I teased with a cheeky grin.

Davina shook her head. "Are you trying to imply that you think I'm fat, Kol Mikaelson?" Davina shouted at me with an exasperated expression as her eyebrows shot upward.

"Perhaps," I replied as I leaned over her to open the passenger door. "Besides you're making me late for my date."

"Yes, sir. I have to walk off all those calories from my fat ass," Davina said, getting out of the car. She leaned over and smirked at me. "Don't forget to use a condom. I'd hate for you to produce more people with a complete lack of sensitivity and manners." Slamming the door shut, Davina strode toward her house and I leaned against the steering wheel watching her. God, she had no idea how wrapped around her little finger I was. After a good two minutes, I drove away after making sure that Davina entered her house.

Turning on the radio, I found a classical music station that Davina favored when she was in my car which has been all of three times. That's how little I trusted myself with the little vixen. She drove me insane. At the moment, although I never admit to myself let alone anyone else, I had her eighteenth birthday marked on my calendar with a happy face. That day I could officially ask her on a date without fear of the consequences. Of course if I had a brain in my head rather than up my arse as Bekah fondly reminded me every day then I would be dating someone my own age. Perhaps I should simply stop seeing Davina period. Cold turkey and all that.

Stopping in front of my house, I parked my car blocking Klaus in knowing that it would drive him insane if he wanted to go anywhere in a hurry. "Nik, you blasted bastard. What are you doing home?" I shouted as I flung the door open to find a startled looking blonde woman who grinned charmingly. She was wearing Nik's shirt and a skimpy pair of underwear.

"Kol, what are you doing home so early?" Klaus bellowed as he came dashing down the stairs as the blonde looked at him. "I see you've met Caroline."

"Ah, the infamous girl who couldn't stand you," I said with a grin. Crossing the room, I took the girl's left hand and kissed the back. "What possessed you to lose your mind and… whatever it is that you're doing with my louse of a brother here when there are so many more gorgeous, talented and charming men in the world such as me?"

Caroline started to laugh as she smiled brightly. "You said he wasn't funny, Klaus."

"He isn't," Klaus replied drily. "Kol, can't you find another sibling to terrorize. Or better yet you could go back to your computer and look at porn."

"Why? When I could watch your last film which was a horror movie, yes? There is guaranteed to be porn in any horror movie worth watching."

"I was in that," Caroline said proudly. "I'm the girl screaming 'Help me. Help me.' Just before your brother hacks me up with an ax. But it's okay. He was dreaming. And then we ride off into the sunset."

"I thought it was a bloody horror movie. What the hell ever happened to horror movies with scary endings?" I rolled my eyes with a look of disgust.

Klaus placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me toward the doorway. "Why don't you go out and see if you can star in your own real-life horror movie?"

"Are you saying you want someone to kill me horribly, Nik?" I asked as I headed toward the door, purposefully pausing to needle him.

"Yes," Klaus said bluntly.

"Klaus," Caroline protested.

"Nice to meet you, Caroline. And nice knickers," I called as I headed outside before Klaus could follow me in his boxers. Smiling contentedly, I got back into my car and tried to think of what to do next. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through my list of contacts. No one worth my time or effort. Sighing, I kept scrolling up and down until I stopped on Davina's number. 'I'm going straight to hell,' I thought.

Hitting the now familiar number. I waited for her to pick up and hoped that she would not. "Hey. I thought you had to get to a date."

"Well, yes, I did. The pity is that when I showed up she took one look at my handsome face and vomited on my shoes. Turns out she has the flu and we had to reschedule. Did you want to go over that sheet some more?" I inquired, feeling my stomach twist painfully.

"Sure," Davina replied. "The only thing is that it doesn't really help when I'm looking at the answers."

"Didn't your teacher send you a copy? You could e-mail me the sheet," I informed her slowly.

"Nope. HE didn't," Davina told me.

"Alright. Then I suppose we could meet up at a coffee shop since you're a bit young for the type of places I would go," I sighed dramatically.

"You're such an ageist, Kol," Davina called with a laugh.

"Yes that I am. Now, would you please call that friend, Josh, or whatever his name is to meet us? That way any parent who walks in won't be calling in and saying that it looks as if a college age guy is off with one her daughter's/son's class mates?" I asked, feeling strange.

"You're kidding, right?" Davina asked, her tone telling me she thought I was being ridiculous.

"Please, Davina. You have no idea what they would do to me in prison. I'm too pretty to be on the inside. They'd trade me faster than cigarettes," I whined and Davina giggled.

"Okay. Fine. I'll call Josh," she muttered. "See you in ten."

"Good. See you then," I replied before hanging up. Yes. I was surely going to hell and or playing with fire. But it was only eight months. I could survive until then. And when Davina was of age then all I had to deal with was that Marcel would beat me to a bloody pulp because all he had ever seen of me was the bloody git who broke girls' hearts on a weekly basis. Eight months to change five years' worth of damage. Difficult, but not impossible.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, my lovely readers. Who has been enjoying all the Kolvina we're seeing on the screen lately?** **On with the show…**

Chapter 2: Study Date

There are times in my life that I think that I've hit rock bottom. Like the day that I turned twenty-one and drank so much that I allowed Nik to convince me that my name was "Kola Bear." An incident that was taped and sent to all of my ex-girlfriends which included my dancing around in a giant diaper. Or the time that I graduated from high school and had the flu but insisted on attending the ceremony. I fell off the stage and broke my arm. Then there was the time that I used Elijah's credit card to purchase a classic car for my sixteenth birthday, going over the ten thousand dollars over the limit and nearly being arrested for fraud.

Yes, those were times that I thought I had hit rock bottom; until I found myself waiting impatiently for an underage girl to exit her house so that I could take her to a coffee shop. This was ridiculous. I should not be this disturbed by taking her to study. It was not like I was taking her to a bar so that she would become intoxicated or to a motel to have illicit sex. So, why in the bloody hell, did I feel like I was doing something horribly wrong?

"Kol," Davina greeted me with a wide grin. I looked up and felt my own smile slide right off my face. The girl was barely dressed. Getting into the car, Davina displayed far too much leg in a skirt that I was not sure covered her knickers and she was wearing a tank top that was cut far too low. "Are you ready?" she asked me, turning toward me.

"Davina, I think you should go back inside and _change_ ," I told her calmly while my hands clutched the steering wheel.

" _Why_?" Davina inquired as she leaned forward to check her lip gloss in the rearview mirror, pressing her small body into my personal space.

"Because you might get cold in that lack of a _proper_ outfit you have on," I replied with my head twisted toward the driver's side window.

"Kol, I'm over here," Davina called. When I refused to look at her, Davina rolled her eyes before she reached out and took hold of my chin, turning my face to look her in the eye. "I'm. Over. Here," she stated while searching my eyes. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me other than your being dressed more like you're trying to compete with Bekah in a Strumpet of the Month contest," I spat at Davina who reared back as if I had slapped her.

"Davina," I said quietly when she reached for the door handle but could not seem to get the door open. "I did _not_ mean that. Davina, damn it. I just. I'm not used to your showing yourself off like _this_."

"Like _what_?" Davina hissed, her voice unsteady. I couldn't see the tears but I could see her shoulder quavering and I wanted to hit myself for hurting the girl like this. "Like a seventeen year old girl? Or would you like me to dress like my mom. Or maybe you'd like it if I just didn't do _anything_."

"Davina. You're acting like a child," I muttered and instantly regretted it.

Davina's head snapped up and she pinned me with a furious look. "A _child_? That's the problem, Kol. One minute I'm a child. The next I'm a whore. What am I, Kol?" the girl was sobbing angrily before she turned and shoved the door open. She would have gotten out if it weren't for my grabbing her by the arm and hauling her back into the passenger seat. Davina's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Kol?" I had never touched her like that before. I was breaking all my self-assigned rules to get through this period without screwing the whole thing up.

"Davina… I…" I began, feeling flustered as I relaxed my hand on her arm and found myself stroking her skin. "I… I don't know why I made that hideous comment about your outfit. I just think like a man and I think of what other men will think… and want when they see you… like this… and I just want you to be safe. Alright?"

"Kol," Davina leaned forward in her seat and wrapped her arms around my neck. Feeling her pressed against me, smelling the light perfume on her skin, I thought I would die. Or maybe that was a happy wish. I could die happy in this girl's arms right at that very moment. I was being very, very foolish with my arms riding low over her back, hands just grazing the skin between her shirt and her skirt. Pulling back, Davina smiled at me. "Thank you for the concern. But I can take care of myself. Now, let's go before Josh thinks that you drove off the road and starts calling all the hospitals in the area."

Regrouping, I settled into my seat as Davina fixed her makeup. Driving down the road in silence; I tried to think of something that would cause me to behave. _Think of lambs. Yes, that is rather unsexy, unless I think of Davina being one of those sheepherding women in a little outfit. Oh, damn. Or maybe I could think of Nik. Yes, total turn off. Better yet, Nik running around in his bloody boxers, eating breakfast, talking with his gob open, chatting about the his latest failure at the box office._

Parking my car, I got out and walked around to open Davina's but she had already popped out like a toy in one of those boxes. Only this toy was showing arms and legs and… _Oh_ , _why_? Sliding my light jacket off, I hurried over to Davina. Draping the jacket over Davina's shoulders; I felt satisfied when the girl grinned up at me.

" _Really_ , Kol?" Davina laughed as we walked toward the café with my arm around her shoulders. Withdrawing my arm, I pulled the door open so she could walk ahead of me. Just as I suspected every single male's gaze moved toward the teenage girl who had shoved her arms through the sleeves of my jacket which turned out to be longer than her skirt. "Josh. Aiden," Davina squealed happily as she made her way toward her dark haired friend and a young man I was not familiar with. "Aiden. This is Kol. My tutor. Kol, this is Aiden. He's Josh's boyfriend."

I smiled and offered my hand to the young man who was sitting beside Josh whose cheeks were flushed. "D, we've only been going out a month," Josh said with a nervous laugh.

"So, you're happy. That's what counts," Davina said brightly as she took her place at the table for four across from her friends.

"Yeah, and look at us, on this cozy little double date," Josh said with a pointed look directed at Davina whose jaw dropped before she narrowed her eyes at him.

" _Not_ a date. _Study_ _session_ ," I corrected quickly, lest others with no lives were paying attention. "So, Aiden, how did the two of you meet?"

"At the student union," Aiden replied at the same time that Josh replied "On ."

"Oh, my God. You two are so cute. I want to wrap you up in a bow," Davina teased the new couple as Josh blushed but was all smiles.

"When are you going to start going out with –," Josh began when he groaned loudly. "Ow."

"You okay?" Aiden asked Josh with a look of concern.

"Oh, I'm good. Just a cramp. But it went away," Josh replied, massaging his leg while Davina looked around, the picture of innocence.

"I'm going to go get a coffee and something to eat. Does anyone else want anything?" Davina asked, moving to get up when I placed a restraining hand on her shoulder, thinking of her standing at the counter while the men examined her in her tiny skirt.

"I'll go get whatever you'd like, darling," I murmured, without thinking as Josh snorted, loudly and then moaned again.

"Ow," Josh hissed.

"Cramp again?" Aiden asked. "Do you want some Advil? I think I have some on me in case of headaches."

"No, I should be fine," Josh replied through gritted teeth as he gave Davina a feral look.

"What would you like?" I asked Davina.

" _You_ ," Josh muttered and then jumped to his feet. "Got to go to the bathroom," he said. Davina's glare followed him back to the men's room where he disappeared.

"I want a mocha cappuccino, a ham and cheese sandwich and a chocolate chip cookie. One of the big ones. Someone told me I was fat today and I want to prove to them just how fat I can get," she told me with an intense gaze.

Grinning, I looked at Aiden. "I'm good, thanks," he told me.

"Be back soon with my queen's two thousand calories that she will have to spend the week running around the race track at her high school getting rid of," I called over my shoulder.

"Jerk," Davina called as I laughed while heading off toward the counter. The tall, red head at the counter flirted with me outrageously and I felt the urge to ask her for her phone number just to prove that I could date someone my own age. When I looked back toward my table, seeing the look of anxiety on Davina's face, and dare I say more than a bit of jealousy, I simply paid, moving on. Why would Davina be jealous? Surely she did not share my feelings? Did she?

Turning back to look at Davina with a wicked smile I found that she was no longer alone with her friends. There were now teenage girls and two boys standing by my table obscuring my view of the girl I desired. 'Who the bloody hell were these people?' I wondered as I collected our order and headed back as the group of teens pulled another table up to ours. What in the bloody hell?

"Hey there," a teen girl with black hair called to me and I vaguely remembered her being introduced to me by Davina as a girl named Monique who was supposed to be the female best friend. Why exactly; I was not sure. "You the tutor boy?" Monique questioned me with a wide grin.

" _Man_. I am the tutor man," I replied with a forced smile while standing above a boy who was now sitting in my seat. "And who might you be?"

"Kol, this is _Tim_ ," Davina said like Tim's name was the most wonderful word in the entire English language. My stomach flipped and I wanted to kill this boy. "Tim, you're kind of sitting in Kol's seat. But you can find a new one, right, Kol?" Davina asked in that same bright tone of voice without even looking up at me. Feeling the urge to drop the tray of food and walk out on these children, I decided to stay composed.

"There's an available seat over here," Monique called to me while patting the seat beside her.

"Thank you," I replied, rewarding her with a genuine grin. Walking over; I sat down. "And, Davina, if you'd like your food then you can come get it, love." I informed Davina whose eyebrows rose.

Smiling, Davina got to her feet and slid out of my jacket, laying it over the back of the chair. The blonde haired boy at the adjoining table let out a long wolf whistle. "Damn, Davina. Look at you. You're all grown up," he joked with a smile that made me want to drag him outside, making him eat his words and a few teeth.

"Thanks, Ollie," Davina replied with a toss of her hair over her shoulder. Sashaying over to me, she leaned over, giving me a view of black lace bra before she collected her items. Looking down at me with a smirk; Davina whispered. "Thanks, Kol." Then she bloody well winked at me. Walking back to her seat; her hips moved in such a way that had me wishing I had my bloody jacket back.

"So, what were you all up to before we showed up?" Monique inquired.

"We were studying," Davina said mildly as she took a sip from her drink.

"Really, Davina?" Monique shook her head. "Find another lame excuse to lure a guy out onto a double date." The other girls as the table began to laugh while Oliver leaned over, trying to get a better look down Davina's top and Tim looked embarrassed. At least the Tim person wasn't as much of an ass as the Oliver one who I was going to murder before the study session was over.

"Are any of you in Davina's class?" I questioned the group, trying to gain their attention and distract them from Monique's incorrect observation.

"Which one?" Monique asked. "Because I'm in several of them. Which ones are you qualified to tutor because I could use some help in my math, science, history, sex ed–"

"Monique, sex ed isn't a class," a girl with short brown hair pointed out.

"Oh, shut up, Cassie. And it should be. Okay, well, how about home ec? I just don't understand why the teachers would want you to run around with a fake baby. If you're careful enough, you can have your fun and not have a squalling brat on your hip, ruining your figure," Monique lectured the group with a smile.

"They're not in my class," Davina stated with a glare directed at Monique.

"Good. I mean, what a _pity_ , but you'll have to be leaving because Davina truly needs to be paying attention here," I informed the group.

"I'll see you later, Davina," Tim called as he got up and the rest of group got up as well.

"See ya around, Kol," Monique whispered, squeezing my shoulder before heading off to another table with even more teens.

Aiden shook his head when Davina's class mates were out of earshot. "That was not in any way awkward."

"No, of course not. What's the opposite of a cougar? Because I thought for sure that Monique was going to be pulling her panties off and writing her phone number on them," Josh said with a shake of his head.

Davina was smiling as Josh talked but it seemed frozen on her face. "No, Kol would not be interested in someone like Monique," she told Josh with a shake of her head as if I werern't there.

"Why?" Aiden asked with curious look. "I mean I wouldn't be for obvious reasons but –"

"Because –" Davina began.

I interrupted them, thrusting my body closer with my chin on my balled fists and a smirk on my face. "Because she's a minor," I deadpanned. This was meant to be a joke although Davina was not laughing when she sat back and glared at me with her lips pursed.

"You mean you would go out with her if she was of age? So, you could have sex with her without the worry that you would get in trouble because you're a typical guy who has no interest in a girl for her brain but only for her body. _Right_?" Davina accused me with pointed look as she leaned toward me so that our faces were only an inch apart. "Then it looks like you're in luck because Monique is turning eighteen in two months. Want me to text you her number?" When I did not accept her challenge but kept my mouth shut, Davina got to her feet. "Josh, can you give me a ride home?"

"Sure, D," Josh replied.

They were leaving when I got to my feet and called after Davina. "You forgot you're food."

"I don't want it," Davina snapped. "Why don't you give it to Monique?" That was the last thing she said before she left the café. At that moment I felt like the biggest ass in New Orleans.

"Don't take it too hard. She'll come around. Or at least I think she will," Aiden told me, sipping his coffee.

"After some time she might. Perhaps not," I replied flippantly.

"You know, it's not my business, and I just met you but I would say that you two like each other, a lot. Maybe it's because I'm one of those people who are sickeningly happy right now and it's making me say things that I wouldn't ordinarily but did you try just telling her that you like her?" Aiden asked me with a serious but compassionate look. Nice guys were annoying.

"No. Yes. She's a bit young. Don't you think?" I replied slowly.

"So, the minor thing does bother you? Does that mean that she's right and this is all about sex? You know that there are plenty of other girls to have sex with that are over eighteen, if that's all you want," Aiden pointed out. "Not that I'm judging. It's just that Davina seems like a great girl. I think she deserves better than that."

"Davina is a great girl and she deserves the world to be placed at her feet," I told Aiden who smiled.

"So, tell her that," Aiden told me as I grabbed her sandwich and cookie.

"Thanks, mate. I'm sure we'll meet again," I called as I rounded the table and grabbed my jacket.

Soon I was leaving and driving to Davina's house. Parking across the street, I waited until I saw the girl sitting at her window. Picking up a pebble, I tossed it at the window, causing the girl to look down.

Waving, I saw Davina roll her eyes and disappear. Two minutes later she was opening the front door. "Kol, what do you _want_?" she asked me. Standing in the doorway in her flannel pyjamas and hooded robe, I felt myself smiling.

"I brought you your food. It would be a shame to let it go to waste given how much they overcharge and since I don't need the calories and how else will I get you to go running with me so that I can train for the marathon?" I inquired.

"What marathon?" Davina asked me as she took the offered food.

"There is always a marathon. I'm thinking something to do with a charity. Like breast cancer. 'Protect the Tas Tas' and all that business," I replied with a grin as Davina rolled her eyes but laughed anyway.

"Good night, Kol," Davina called. As she was about to close the door, I placed my hand on it and made my move. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I pulled back to see a look of amazement.

"Good night, Davina," I waved and began to whistle on my way back to my car. All in all, it hadn't been such a bad night.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, my lovely readers. It's time for more Kolvina and Mikaelson family drama. On with the show…**

Chapter 3: Running in Circles

Running up and down the stairs of my house, I grinned when Elijah exited the kitchen, staring at me with his hands on his hips. "What are you doing this time, Kol?"

"He says he's training for a marathon," Bekah said drily as she passed by with a bowl of cereal to sit down on the couch to watch the Today show.

"Really?" Elijah looked at me with a confused expression as Hayley came walking up behind him and kissed him on the side of his neck. "But does he have to train at six in the morning?"

"Yeah, Kol," Hayley moaned. "I know that this is important to you. It's great that you have a hobby, but those of us with jobs really need some sleep," the brunette told me as she rubbed at her eyes.

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your sleep the way that the two of you do multiple times a night with your moaning and trying to break Elijah's bloody bed?" I inquired lightly as I continued to run. Stopping to take a breath, I watched as Hayley colored and Elijah grimaced. "Just wanted it out that I'm not the only one depriving people in this family of sleep."

"Here. Here," Bekah cheered from her place on the couch with a spoon waving in the air.

"Watch waving that around. You'll get milk on the couch and we'll have bugs," Elijah ordered Rebekah who rolled her eyes as I headed toward the kitchen to pour out a glass of water.

"What's the charity, Kol? Free Beer for College Coeds on Fridays Nights?" Hayley asked me. Why had she followed me into the bloody kitchen?

"No, it's for AIDs relief in the Sudan," I retorted with a smirk as Hayley's smug smile disappeared.

"Okay. What's the catch? Who's the woman that you're trying to impress? 'Cause, Kol, you can fool everyone else but you're always up to something and it's never selfless," Hayley told me as she continued to give me a wary look.

"I've decided to turn over a new leaf," I told her. "Now, why don't you be a doll and change out of my brother's clothes because wearing his boxers and t-shirts gives me nightmares." Walking past Hayley with my glass of water, I smiled to myself as I bypassed Elijah, handing him the glass on the way. Not my being rude, he just hates when I leave my dirty dishes lying about and already had his hand out.

Entering my room, I stripped off my clothes and headed out into the hall toward the bathroom where I confronted Marcel who was leaving Rebekah's room. "Find anything interesting in there? Already read her diary and she must have torn out the pages about all her former lovers because there's just some bits 'bout you and some slobber. Thought the slobber might belong to you but DNA tests are so very expensive…"

"Fuck off, Kol. And what in the hell, man?" Marcel stared at the ceiling when he looked up to notice that I was in my natural state. "Hope you don't plan on going around D like that. You know I will break both your legs, and Bekah will side with me if you hurt that girl?"

"Surely you do not think so little of me that you think that I have anything but the purest of intentions for our darling girl?" I retorted with a hand placed over my heart. "As I was telling Hayley just a bit back, I have turned over a new leaf. I am a new man. I am saved from my wild and wicked ways." Yes, I probably should not tease the man so if I want his blessing but I can't help it. When it comes to Davina, Marcel Gerard can be nothing more than a sanctimonious ass which is quite ironic since he's been in my younger sister's pants more times than I care to note. Boyfriend, lover, whatever he wanted to call himself I just hoped that he was never fool enough to call himself husband so that I would be stuck passing the bloody gravy bowl to him during holidays. "It's been a pleasure as usual," I muttered before ducking into the bathroom.

I could swear Marcel said "Rot in hell, lunatic," but I'm not sure. Could be built up ear wax. Pulling out a drawer, I grabbed some Q-Tips, cleaned my ears and then tossed said Q-Tips into Bekah's make-up bag. Getting into the shower, I picked up a bottle of apple smelling bath soap that I believed Hayley favored before soaping myself while singing "Staying Alive" at the top of my lungs. Stepping out of the shower, I pulled Elijah's towel down from the rack. You know the one with the large E and M on it. Dried myself and dropped it on the floor before entering the hall to cause both Hayley and Bekah to scream which caused Elijah to come upstairs to see what was the matter.

"Kol, for heaven's sake. Use a towel," Elijah yelled at me.

"I did," I protested, leaning against the wall while Elijah sighed heavily.

"Where is said towel?" Elijah inquired.

"On the floor," I replied as Elijah examined the floor and then gave me a questioning look. "Of the bathroom," I added before pushing off the wall and striding into my room. After a long pause Elijah yelled and then began to curse.

I counted to ten before the door to my room flew open and Elijah entered, looking less than his usual calm and controlled self. "Kol, we need to talk," he told me.

"Yes, I would love to. However, I'm on my way out," I informed my older brother who was about to kill me this time, I was sure of it. Yanking on a pair of boxer briefs, jogging pants and t-shirt, all in shades of black, I strode out of the room and patted Elijah on the shoulder. "We'll talk tonight. Promise. Good day strumpets, and male strumpet formerly known as Marcel," I yelled before exiting the house.

Driving to Davina's high school, I found the girl stretching beside the bleachers. I considered the idea of climbing on top of them and then scaring the bloody hell of the girl but I decided against it. Walking over to stand behind Davina, I dropped to my knees behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders. Rubbing lightly, I was pleased when Davina began to moan. "That's nice. But my friend, Kol, is going to be here very soon and I'd hate for him to think that I found someone better to hang with."

Smirking, I dropped my hands and fell to the ground beside her, stretching my arms out. "Oh, you've wounded me so with you words, Davina Claire. To think that you would cheat on me with someone for a good rub down," I complained with my eyes shut.

"It depends on how good it is," Davina replied, placing her head on my chest and I popped my right eye open to smirk up at her while my left hand came up to stroke the hair out of her face. We had been at this training thing for a good month which means that I managed to accelerate the time to seven months. However, it was not getting any easier since all the physical activity was not having the desired effect of burning off energy. Nor was her girly sweat turning me off of her. How was it that it seemed impossible for me to see this girl in any way other than being extraordinary? It was preposterous. I was a grown man. She was a mere child. This was not right.

"Race you to the finish line," I said suddenly, pushing myself to my feet and running. I looked over my shoulder to see Davina unzipping her jacket although it was October and dropping it beside the track. What in the God's name? She was wearing a sports bra? They were not making them so small today were they? And why did her pants fit so low?

One minute I was having all of these unbidden thoughts about forbidden fruit and the next I was lying flat on my face. Damn! "Nice!" Davina said, staring down at me where I was rolling onto my back. "Are you okay?"

"Great! Can't you tell?" I declared. "Go ahead. I'll catch you on your way past me for the next lap." Waving Davina off, I watched her run off while I tried to gather whatever dignity I still had after I fell over my own feet, feeling like karma had come up and bit me, hard.

By the time that Davina came back, I was ready to run again. Finding my rhythm, I fell into pace beside her. "You run like a girl, Kol," Davina told me, seemingly pleased with her joke.

"When the girl is you, I don't take that as an insult," I replied.

Davina looked at me, waiting for me to end the comment with a witty but stinging insult but I did not meet her expectations this time. "Are you feeling okay, Kol, 'cause I think you just said something nice?"

"So, what if I did?" I asked. Could the girl not take a compliment? Or had my influence injured her ability to be able to enjoy someone treating her kindly?

"You don't do nice, Kol," Davina reminded me.

"Says who?" I snapped.

"You," Davina called over her shoulder before she sped off. I increased my speed and caught up with her quickly. "You said that nice people are weak and should be fed to a pack of wolves."

"I did?" I inquired lightly. "Well, then I must have been having a rather ungenerous year."

"When are you generous? Okay, wait a minute. You're messing with me. What's the catch?" Davina asked, slowing down to a stop and shaking her head with a wide smile.

"No catch. As I keep trying to tell everyone. I'm turning over a new leaf. I've been inspired to change," I told her.

"By who?" Davina asked. "Who is she and tell her that she better buy a ticket and get out of the state because no one messes with my Kol Mikaelson." Placing her hands on her hips, Davina gave me a long look waiting for me to spill the details of the woman that she was imagining that I was dating.

"And what makes you think that it is a woman that inspired this change?" I questioned Davina, circling her slowly with a smirk and my fingers laced behind my back.

"Because you have two things that motivate you, and one of them is sex and the other one is driving your family crazier," Davina told me.

"Well, it is not the former, but might be the later," I quipped. Technically speaking it was a female who was inspiring my changes but she was not a woman. Not in my eyes. Not just yet. She would have to experience a bit more of life before you could officially call her a woman and I wanted to be by her side while she finally jumped the final hurdle into adulthood.

"Uh huh. So this is all about driving your family insane?" Davina replied as she spun around on her heels while I continued to circle.

"Yes. For the most part. Now, weren't you in the middle of beating me in this race?" I asked Davina who shook her head and then lost her balance mid-twirl. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I held her steady.

"Okay," Davina whispered. "But you're not getting off so easily on this what your real motivations are topic."

"Yes, I'm sure. Did I mention that if you beat me that I will buy you lunch?" That was all it took before Davina was running away from me. "Oh, and if you want to pester me with subjects that I'm not ready to answer then why don't I ask you about why you referred to me as 'my Kol Mikaelson?'"

"I can't hear you," Davina shouted as she increased her speed. That's what I thought. Following Davina, I was happy that I was out and about. I didn't have to deal with that fact that next year was my senior year and I had no idea what I wanted to do. Go to graduate school? Truly? Did I want to be bloody Finn for God's sake? Teach? Ugh. Go to work with the geeks that I went to school with? No. Never. Gar. Work behind a counter asking people if they wanted fries with that? No. So what the bloody hell was I going to do?

"Kol, what are you thinking about other than whether or not I still haven't run off that two thousand calories per day?" Davina shouted through cupped hands a yard in front of me.

Cupping my own hands, I bellowed. "That you have a lovely bum."

"What?" Davina shouted, laughing.

"That I'm going to be a bum if I don't figure out what to do after college," I told her as I caught up with the girl.

"Why don't you go to work at NASA or something?" Davina asked me.

I rolled my eyes. "Bunch of bloody geeks. I'd rather become a roadie and follow a band about. Come. Need. To. Take. A. Break." Taking Davina's hand, I led her back to the grass and pulled her down beside me. Lying down on the ground, I pulled Davina against me as she rested her head on my chest. "Tell me, what do want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be an artist," Davina told me.

"Really? Huh." It was funny. I had never asked Davina what she wanted out of life. Hell, I'm not sure that I ever asked a woman that I was with what they wanted from life. Maybe it was because of my own personal crisis. "And does that mean you will be going to school?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. There are programs, but I'd like to go to Italy," Davina told me seriously.

"Yes. There are programs in Italy," I replied, rubbing circles along the curve of her back. "And why is it that I've never seen any of your work?"

"'Cause you never asked me to see it. Actually, you never asked me about what I liked," Davina muttered into my shirt.

"See. New leaf. It's making me into a better man," I told her. "Suppose this means that I might be evolving.

"Don't let the new leaf make you into a completely different Kol because I like the original." The words disappeared into air as I closed my eyes. No one, not even my own family had ever accepted me for who and what I was. I needed for Davina to say something else. Something that would cause me to feel less… happy or I might break yet another self-assigned rule and do something I was sure to regret.

"Perhaps we should go and get lunch," I suggested. Davina did not respond and I looked down to find that she had fallen asleep. Oh, yes, this would look good too. The seventeen year old who was possibly drugged by college junior, Kol Mikaelson, brother of film star, Klaus Mikaelson, found asleep near high school track. Yes, that would make one hell of a headline on the news. 'Oh, screw the consequences,' I thought and pulled Davina closer before falling asleep myself.

Sometime later when the sun had gone down, I found Davina staring down at me, propped up on one elbow. "Want to chase me?" she asked. Not giving me the opportunity to say no, she got up and ran toward the track. Minutes later she slowed down, shivering.

"Cold?" I asked her.

"Yes," Davina replied, her teeth chattering. Taking off my shirt, I sniffed at it. It didn't smell terribly. "Take this," I offered her the shirt and she stared at it for a moment with wide eyes before pulling it on. The sight was comical. It looked like a dress on her form. She stuffed the end in her pants and then began to jog beside me before pacing herself into a full out run. Perhaps she should be the one running in the marathon rather than me.

After five laps we both tired and as Davina ran past the finish line to declare herself the winner, I caught her by the waist and lifted her in the air. Spinning her around, I watched Davina grin happily down at me before I stopped and stared up at her. Not placing her feet on the ground, I felt my impulses running wild as she slid downward till we were face to face. She was staring at my mouth and I knew that look. Davina Claire wanted me to kiss her. And I was ready, willing and more than able to when my bloody phone began to vibrate in my pocket, doing a happy little dance.

"Don't answer that," Davina begged me, placing her hands to my face. It looked like she was about to kiss me when I sat her down suddenly and pulled my phone out.

"Sorry. It's Lijah. Could be important," I told Davina, who looked like she going to punch me in the face. Turning away, I answered. "Elijah, what's going on?"

"Where are you?" Elijah demanded.

"Out," I replied airily.

"You told me that you would be home tonight," Elijah snapped at me.

"Yes," I replied.

"And it is night, unless of course the fact that the sky above is dark is a prediction that the apocalypse is soon upon us. On the other hand, if that were true then you might have returned as you said you would and that would certainly be telling of our doom," Elijah said smoothly.

I started to tell Elijah to just go make himself into a pretzel with his lady love so that he might not act as though he was so bloody anal and leave me to my life when I looked over to see that Davina was gone. Where had she gone to? "Elijah, I will talk to you later," I said suddenly. Hanging up, I found that Davina was not anywhere on the field or under the bleachers. Walking into the parking lot, I found her sitting on the hood of my car. "Give me your keys," Davina said with a sniffle. I never allowed anyone to drive my baby.

Extracting my car keys, I placed them in Davina's palm. Walking around to the passenger side, I got into the car without a word. It was an awkward trip as Davina drove a familiar route back to her house and placed my keys on the dashboard. Getting out without a word or even a good-bye, Davina walked up to her house and slammed the door shut.

Sighing, I remembered that Davina had my shirt but I went ahead and climbed into the driver's seat. Driving back to my house, I entered with a heavy heart. Entering my home, I found that no one was in the living room. However, Elijah came out to find me. "Kol," he called after me as I was headed up the stairs.

"Not now, Lijah," I called back.

"Yes, now," Elijah snapped.

"Can I at least put a shirt on?" I asked.

"No. Dining room. Now!" Elijah demanded and I trudged back down. Entering the dining room, I found Bekah crying. "It seems that it's time for the two of you to get a place of you own."

"What?" I exploded. And then World War III exploded.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review: They are very cute! Thank you for reading.**

 **Peace,**

 **J**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, my lovely readers. This chapter is a little angsty. Sorry. And I'm sure that Davina is not really dead on the show. I hope. On with the show…**

Chapter 4: Step Back

" _What do you mean exactly?" I asked, feeling confused. Elijah was not the type to make arbitrary decisions that affected, not just himself, but our entire family. However dysfunctional we might be, and horrid we could be to each other, we loved each other when push came to shove and we did not toss each other over like this. What could have possibly motivated him to make this choice?_

 _Then the answer walked into the room and my eyes narrowed as my prey came to stand beside my brother. "Hayley, you bloody bitch! What did we ever do to you that you want us out of our own home? Is it the bloody wash? I'll replace it!"_

" _Kol, how dare you speak to my fiancée in that manner?" Elijah thundered with a look on his face that I did not even recognize. My brother had never looked at me, in his entire life, like this._

" _You're what?" I screamed at Elijah, feeling my entire body quiver. This was bloody unbelievable._

 _Elijah ran a hand through his hair. "Hayley is going to be my wife and the mother of my child. So like it or not, Kol, she is here to stay."_

" _How do you even know that it's yours? Or that she did not get knocked up because she wanted to keep you 'round? Best yet, you're marrying her 'cause of a lil' baby. How adorable. How American," I snarled with a disgusted sneer directed at the little mummy-to-be. Future sister-in-law. Oh, let me vomit on her dress. Or allow me to be so bold as to buy her a one-way ticket to Siberia so that I shall never have to look at her again. Then I'll buy Elijah a ticket so she and the baby won't get lonesome and Bekah and I can have the house to ourselves. To hell with the happy couple. I hoped they rotted._

" _Kol, this wasn't my idea," Hayley protested with her arms folded over her chest. "I wanted to wait to tell you two that we needed more room but Elijah insisted. And it's his house."_

" _Bugger off," I snapped at Hayley._

" _I proposed months ago. And I did wait and wait and wait for you to show any sign of respect to me in my home, Kol, but you are twenty-one, and you act as if you are a thirteen-year-old," Elijah informed me with a frown. "You need to grow up."_

" _But what does Kol's behavior have to do with me?" Bekah wailed from her position on her chair. "I'm not the one who's been so horrid."_

" _Rebekah, you're twenty and you act as if I'm your father taking care of his little girl. A little girl who has been having her boyfriend spend the night, does not do the dishes, or offer to help with any of the chores, does not have a job and has not been regularly attending her design classes," Elijah listed off while Rebekah paled visibly._

" _That is not fair. Give me a chance," Rebekah moaned miserably as Hayley disappeared and then reappeared with a box of tissues. "Please, 'Lijah," my sister begged as I rolled my eyes._

" _You can stay here tonight, but by tomorrow evening, when I come back, I expect, both of you, to have packed, and found somewhere else to stay," Elijah told us coolly before walking out of the room._

 _Hayley ran a hand through her hair and wiped a tear away with the back of her hand. "I'll talk to him. But you know what he's like when he thinks he's right about something," Her words hit home with both of us and I slumped down into a chair at the dining table. "Kol, do you want me to get you a shirt?" Hayley asked me and I nodded numbly._

 _When the brunette returned, I took the shirt between my hands and looked up at her with a wan smile. "Thanks. And sorry about the words. Nasty bits come out of my mouth when I'm pissed."_

" _Don't we all say shit when we're pissed? That's what family does to you. Not that I have first-hand knowledge of that kind of thing, but…" Hayley trailed off as she pressed her hand to her midriff._

" _Sure you do," I replied serenely while Hayley gave a questioning look._

" _You're one of us now," I told her with a grin that made her smile a tad nervously in return. "Best of luck."_

"Hey, Kol, are you hungry?" Hayley called to me and I opened a heavy eyelid to see her standing over me with a cup of black coffee and an iPad. "I've been looking for places for you to check out today. I even made a few calls, hope you don't mind. Rebekah's been up since six, trying to help."

"Thank you, Hayley," I said sarcastically. _What_? _Did she think because I did not hold her entirely accountable for my brother's bout of insanity that that meant I wanted her to act as my new mummy_? _I was over twenty-one_. _I could find a flat on my own_. _Bugger her_.

Seeing the irritated expression on my face, Hayley sat the coffee down on the nightstand and placed her free hand on her hip. "Get over yourself, Kol. I'm trying to help you, because, as you put it last night, we're kind of family now. Otherwise I would let Elijah throw you out on your freeloading ass. Or did you forget while you were chowing down on everything not nailed down in the fridge that it's Elijah and my combined accounts that keep it stocked."

"Yes. Yes. Hand me the bloody Pad," I snapped with a less than eager look as I took the flat, black device while sitting up. Hayley stood over me like I was her student and she was about to smack me with a ruler if I offered an incorrect answer. Smirking at the thought, I glanced up at Hayley who frowned and backed away.

" _Don't_ download porn on that," she ordered before exiting the room.

Sighing, I leant back against the headboard and opened a new tab to access my e-mail. Nothing new or exciting or from another brunette who was six years younger than the one who just left my room. No, the teen seemed to have written me off, I assumed as I picked up my phone to find there were messages from girls that I did not recall meeting, but none from, the one and only, Davina Claire. _Wonder what she would do if I sent her a text_?

"Kol, have you been looking at the places that Hayley marked for us to check out today?" Bekah inquired as she came in and flopped across my bed. Taking hold of the iPad, she settled it on her folded legs and frowned. "Why are you looking at your bloody e-mail, you wanker? Are you not even trying in the _slightest_ to take care of this problem that _you_ got us into?"

" _Me_?" I snapped. She did not just lay all of the blame of our current predicament at my feet, did she? Bugger her, too. "And what makes you think that I want to shack up with you? Perhaps I would like a flat of my own, where I can finally be a man, without finding your panties, drying on the shower rod? Or find one your boyfriends sneaking out of your room at all hours? Best yet, I can watch ESPN without listening to you whine about how your stories are on? Christ, Bekah, what do you even need to watch Spanish soaps for, don't you know how to seduce a wanker, with no real aspirations in life, already? And you still can't say hello in _Español_."

"Screw you, Kol," Bekah growled before hitting me with the iPad and then moving to get off the bed.

Grabbing Bekah by the arm, I wrestled her back down beside me till we were lying with our heads beside each other like Siamese twins, both wary of the day's events. "Call Finn and see if he'll put you up for a bit of time till you can find a place of your own," I ordered Bekah who turned her head to look me in the eye.

"Yes. But what will _you_ do?" Bekah asked with her eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed in concern.

"Stop with that look when you're so close to my face. Makes me think that you're going to kiss me." I teased her and Bekah slapped me, hard, which only made me laugh, even though it hurt.

Sitting up, Bekah stared down at me as I grinned. "I'm going to climb into one of your suitcases. When Finn offers to help you, have him take me up to your room. By the time he realizes that I'm with you, and that some of the luggage is mine, it will be too late. I will have squatted and refused to leave."

"Brilliant plan till Finn picks you up and heaves you out a window," Bekah pointed out.

"It's a good thing that he lives on the third floor. If he throws me, he could break one of my fragile bones, and I'll sue him. I suppose I should have drunk the milk mother offered me as a child," I murmured with a cheerful grin.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" Bekah asked me as she pulled out her phone and began to type in a number. Holding up a finger, she waited until Finn picked up. Pressing her finger to the speaker button, she watched me run over to close the door so that Elijah, if he were still at home, which was doubtful, would not hear this bit of manipulation.

"Hello?" Finn called into the phone.

"Hello, Finn. You'll _never_ guess what 'Lijah did last night?" Bekah moaned into the phone.

"Yes. I already know and, no, Kol cannot come stay with me. Sorry, Bekah, but I _cannot_ abide his presence in my house after last time," Finn was saying when I opened my mouth to protest. Pressing her hand to my mouth, Bekah gave me a warning look.

"I _wouldn't_ dream of asking Kol to come. He's the _sole_ reason that I'm stuck in this _dreadful_ situation in the first place," Bekah stated with her voice taking on a tremor as she smiled brightly at me.

"Bekah…" Finn began with a hint of regret in his tone.

" _Please_ , Finn! It will be like I'm not even there. I swear it will be no longer than a week. Just until I find something more permanent. _Please_?" Bekah cried out with a wobble in her tone. "I have nowhere else to go, with Nik in California, and Mother and Father in Europe. I need to be in New Orleans to finish my degree."

There was a long pause and then Finn exhaled loudly. "Alright. But this will be one week, and I promise that I will help find you a place to live, and a job."

"You are the very _best_ of my brothers and the one I love the _most_ ," Bekah squealed happily. "When should I arrive?"

"After six would be best," Finn informed her.

"Bye," Bekah said sweetly with a huge grin before hanging up and high-fiving me.

"Could have done without the bit about his being the brother you love the most since that was a completely fraudulent statement," I informed Bekah who smirked down at me.

"Yes, we all know that I love _Nik_ the best," Bekah replied before sauntering toward the door. "Got to pack."

"Nik is _everyone's_ favorite. Except Finn's. And I love 'Lijah equally, when he isn't being a royal shit," I added while downloading porn onto Hayley's iPad. Maybe she and 'Lijah would learn something useful. Probably not.

Getting to my feet, I tried to decide, quickly, what I wanted to bring with me and what I could do without. There wasn't too much that I cared for. Grabbing a trashcan, I pulled open my bottom drawer, where I kept pictures of the many women that I'd dated, hooked up with or bothered to be photographed with. Along with various mementos from these days and nights, I tossed them into the can. Not worth my time really. Finding clothes with holes in them, I tossed those, too. Pulling out old Playboys and other naughty bits, I tossed those as well. Could always buy some new material. Nothing that I could not use at the moment was truly important to me.

As I went through the contents of my belongings, I found something odd. It was nothing I recognized under the piles of tidbits from other women. Underneath it all was a portrait of myself, on my eighteenth birthday, with a crown on my head and a wide grin on my face. I had never recalled looking that happy or open. Feeling puzzled because I did not recall being with an artist, I looked down at the tiny signature. Davina Claire. Examining the portrait once more, I had to admit that she made me into my roguishly handsome self. Only, somehow, she made me look even more so. _How was such a thing possible_? _I was positively glowing_. _Bloody hell_. _Did she have a crush on me all those years ago, and I didn't notice because she was a bit of a girl, only fourteen_?

And what was this present sitting at the bottom of my drawer when it should have been in a frame on my wall? An original Davina Claire that would one day, no doubt, amount to a great deal, if she had her way about it. Taking the portrait, I tried to think of some place to put it that it would not become damaged, even though it was already frayed at the edges.

Leaving my room, I wandered down to Elijah's study and found a framed painting by one of those stuffy _Renaissance_ people that he favored. Taking it down, and pulling the back off, I carefully took the sketch out, laid it across his desk and popped Davina's in. It fit perfectly. Exiting the room, I went downstairs and found some bubble wrap in the storage closet. Heading back up to my room, I carefully wrapped the portrait before stuffing it into my bag between handfuls of clothes. Going back downstairs, I opened the cabinet that held the liquor and pulled down a bottle of scotch that I knew Elijah had been saving for a special occasion and headed back up to bubble wrap and pack it, as well.

"Are you ready yet?" Rebekah called, entering my room with a wide smile.

"Yes. I'm done. And in record time," I announced with pleased grin of my own.

"Good, because we're late," Rebekah called over her shoulder.

My sister was already headed down the hallway when I popped my head out the doorway. "For what?" I called, feeling baffled.

"Marcel's party, silly," Rebekah shouted from her room. "Didn't Davina tell you about it?"

Running a hand through my short locks, I frowned. As far as I could remember there hadn't been mention of an up-coming event of any kind. "No. Actually, she didn't tell me about any parties," I replied.

"Really?" Rebekah's eyebrows rose as she fluffed her hair and pouted at the mirror. "I thought you two were as thick as thieves."

"We are," I snapped at her. Inwardly, I wondered if "are" should have been "were?" "I guess she forgot."

"Good. Then she'll be happy to see you then," Rebekah told me, whirling on her heel, she struck a pose. "How do I look?" she inquired.

"Like a strumpet," I told her and narrowed my eyes. "I have to say these things. You're my baby sister."

"Kol," Rebekah sighed and rolled her eyes before striding past me, shoving a shoulder into my chest, for good measure. "Come on then. We can make an appearance and still get to Finn's if we hurry."

Following my demanding sister down the stairs and out into the warm sunshine. I drove to Marcel's loft apartment in Algiers while Rebekah sang along with the music she chose. It was a wonder I did not die from the pounding headache that formed around my temples. Rebekah leapt out of the car and I had to run to catch up with her. How she could move so quickly in four inch heels, I would never know.

The door to the flat was already wide open and the sounds of laughter and music poured in and around us. Entering the loft, I noticed Marcel chatting with a few of his friends but when he spotted Rebekah, he moved through the crowd to lift her off her feet. "Rebekah," he cried before kissing her on the lips.

I tried not to gag while my sister and her paramour put on quite the show for the whole bloody lot. "Show's over. Bugger off!" I warned one lad who was gawking at them.

"Nice to see you too, Kol," Marcel remarked and I turned to face him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I would have noticed you speaking to me, but last I saw you, your tongue was exploring my sister's tonsils. You see why this might make me a tad squeamish, yes?" I inquired with a smirk.

"Heard you got Bekah and yourself kicked out of Chateau Mikaelson," Marcel replied with a grin like this was some kind of bloody joke.

"Yes. I might have. But I do not like having my sleep interrupted by the sound of small screaming things. It makes me rather irritable," I responded, folding my arms over my chest.

Marcel nodded. "I guess it's a good thing that Rebekah took me up on my offer to stay here till she gets another place then, isn't it?" he asked and I could not believe my ears.

Rebekah's cheeks turned crimson when I turned to look at her. "He called right after Finn. I'm sorry, Kol, I was going to tell you after the party…"

"Unbelievable! You know that Finn would rather let me rot in the bayou before he ever let me set one foot over his threshold!" I yelled at Rebekah who looked embarrassed which she should.

"Hey, man, I think you need to chill out," Marcel said, taking a step in front of Rebekah and holding out his hand to prevent me from getting any closer. "You can stay here, if you want, but you're going to have to live by my rules and that includes showing the lady of this household some respect."

"Respect? I am supposed to show the little backstabber respect?" I laughed in Marcel's face. "Forget it. Forget the two of you and your, oh, so kind offer," I said sarcastically. "I will find my own way, even if I have to go all the way to California and stay with Nik. Have a good like, Bekah. May our paths not cross again soon."

I moved to leave the loft when I came face-to-face with Davina and a group of her friends. It took me a split second to add the four people and then divide them into pairs. The first pair being Josh and Aiden while the second consisted of Davina and her little friend, Tim, who she was holding hands with. Terrific. As if my day needed to be better. "Davina," I greeted the girl.

"Kol. Leaving so soon. Well, don't let us stop you," Davina replied coldly, brushing past me with Tim in tow and her friends giving me apologetic looks.

I wanted to stop. I wanted to stay there and explain myself. I wanted to take Davina and lead her outside and kiss her until neither of us could think straight but I did none of these things. Instead, I left the room and pulled out my phone. "Nik, do you have an extra room?" It looked like I was California bound.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my lovely readers. Ready to see how things are going for Kol? On with the show…**

Chapter 5: Moving Forward

Kol Mikaelson had to admit that leaving his old life behind was more a good idea in theory. In practice, he found that he had screwed up. A lot. Moving to California seemed to be the best option for him. However, leaving school in his dust caused his father to cut him off, completely. Now, he had to find a job and accept some sort of responsibility before Nik kicked him out on his ass.

"Nik?" Kol called, coming out of his room in Klaus' two bedroom flat in San Francisco. "I'm off to find work?" he called.

Caroline looked up for the newspaper. "Sorry. He's already left for the day," she told Kol. "Good luck with your search."

Kol forced a smile. As much as he loved women, listening to his brother and his girlfriend going at it all night, and into the morning hours, had left him fatigued. "Right. Thanks," he replied before walking over and snatching an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table. "Agh!"

"Oh, God. It's _plastic_!" Caroline cried. Too late.

"That's going to cost me a trip to the dentist," Kol muttered, holding the side of his face.

Caroline's face scrunched up. "Do you have insurance?" she asked him, going to the freezer and looking for an ice pack. "Here," she held it out to him.

"Insurance?" Kol felt miserable as he fell into a seat at the kitchen table. "Damn. I'm used to these things being provided for us," he told her.

"Well," Caroline shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jean shorts. "Maybe you could find a job that offers benefits." She didn't look so certain. Otherwise you'll probably have to sign up for ObamaCare."

" _Seriously_?" Kol could not believe his blasted luck. "How do I do that?" he asked.

"Umm… you might want to look it up on the internet or call the hotline, because I've never had to do that. I'm covered at the news station," Caroline told him, giving him a sympathetic look. "You know, I do have a friend who covered a story on health insurance. Maybe she'll know something."

Rolling his eyes, Kol got to his feet, sitting the ice pack on the table top. "Yes. Well, I'll be off. Perhaps someone will be kind enough to give me a job that will cover my every need. If not, I can always throw myself at father's mercy."

Kol left the apartment, feeling more depressed than he had felt in a long time. He sorely wished to speak with Davina. Her spark-plug of a mind would come up with some idea to sort this mess out. At the very least, she would cheer him up with her gorgeous smile. Sighing, Kol continued to walk down the sidewalk. He also wished he had a car. Hadn't thought about that before he got to sunny California. Instead, he would have to get on one of those trolley things that the tourists raved about. It was fun the first twenty times but lost its appeal after a while.

At the end of the street, Kol stood at a bus stop, waiting for a bus that would take him to the trolleys that would take him further into the depths of the city where he would look for a job. Most likely, he could find nothing more than girls who would offer him their numbers. "Hey there," a young blonde cried, moving close to Kol who grinned down at her.

"Hello, love," Kol said. It took mere minutes for her to offer her number. He slid it into the back pocket of his jeans, with no intention of calling her. Right now, he did not want a distraction. He wanted to find a place of employment that offered insurance and a flat of his own.

Hopping off the trolley, in the heart of the city, he made his way through town. Finding that there were restaurant jobs galore but none of them were offering enough money, let alone insurance. "Why did I come to this _blasted_ city?" Kol muttered to himself when he looked up at a building with a large poster. Coming soon: Castle Club, spelt in bold script. There was another thing to add to his list of wishes: the ability to go clubbing without fear of not being able to eat the next day.

"Interested?" a man questioned him and Kol turned to find a shorter man, watching him intently.

"In the _club_?" Kol asked, pointing up at the sign. "Who wouldn't be?" he said with a chuckle. "Unfortunately for me, I don't have the kind of money that would get me past the velvet rope."

"That's not a problem. Vincent Griffith. Head bartender." Vincent held out a hand to Kol.

"Kol Mikaelson. Recent college drop-out, with need of employment," Kol introduced himself with a wide smile.

Vincent rubbed his chin, looking Kol over. "I could use a strong, young guy to help around the bar. You have any experience?"

"Drinking, yes, alas, in the field of bartending, I am lacking general knowledge," Kol hoped that Vincent would not tell him to get lost.

Vincent looked thoughtful. "Think you can hold a tray without dropping the drinks?" he asked Kol.

"Sure. I think I can do that," Kol told him with a quick nod.

Grinning, Vincent moved past Kol. "Coming?" he called, waving for Kol to follow him behind the building.

Kol followed the man who might be giving him a fresh start. "On my way, sir," he called back, cheerfully. Vincent stopped in front of a door, painted black. Walking inside, he seemed to disappear. Kol followed him in, blinking at the lack of lighting.

"Keep walking forward," Vincent instructed and Kol tried to not run into a wall. At the end of the hallway, light shone from an overhead light fixture in what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Kol asked, looking around at the nothingness that surrounded him. Now, he wondered if Vincent planned on killing him. Maybe he should make a run for it.

"Try to keep up, Kol," Vincent shouted at Kol who had stopped walking. He looked at Vincent who opened a trap door, in the floor, on the other side of the space. Vincent looked at Kol expectantly. "You want this job or _not_ because I know a _dozen_ guys who would _kill_ to get this gig."

Reminding himself that he feared nothing, other than an untimely and brutal death at the hands of a psychopath, Kol followed Vincent underground. They headed down a set of steps that led to the garage. "Who would park down here?" Kol asked Vincent.

"Guys like Tom Cruise when they don't feel like dealing with the _paparazzi_ ," Vincent replied.

They continued to walk to another black door at the back of the garage and through another dimly lit hallway. When Vincent opened the final black door, Kol's jaw dropped. Inside a vast room stood a black bar in front of every kind of expensive alcoholic beverage Kol had ever heard of and some he could not pronounce. Black tables stood, sleek and bare of decoration. A stage stood in the middle of the back of the room. It, too, was black, standing starkly against light pouring from the walls, rather than the ceiling. The lights changed from red, to purple, to blue every few minutes, casting eerie shadows in the walls.

"This is going to make people go mad," Kol said, a little bit in awe of the set up.

"It _is_. But the main attraction, will be the talent that hits that stage. My boss, Mr. Lucien Castle, goes from one side of the world to the other, finding new, undiscovered musicians, to entertain his clientele. And he picks the best of the best before the labels find them. It's like a concert _every_ night. And, now, you're going to get a ticket." Vincent told Kol as he walked around the bar.

"This sounds like my _lucky_ day," Kol replied.

Vincent nodded. "Just be careful, man. My boss, he likes perfection, and if anything or anyone screws up the opening night… I _wouldn't_ want to be in his shoes." Shuddering, Vincent waved to a case of beer. "You can help me set these up in the back room," he told Kol.

"I'll take that as I am working here," Kol retorted. "Quick question: do you have dental insurance?"

Vincent grinned. "You better believe it. We've got dental, vision, health and life insurance, you know, in case something happens. Basically, you're covered in every way possible and then some. Hell, you get a month's paid vacation, you stay on for a year, and if the boss like you, he might even take you on one of his talent hunts."

"Have you been on any of those?" Kol inquired, lifting two cases of German beer and following Vincent.

Shaking his head, Vincent smiled. " _Nope_. Got too much at home to go globe-trotting. But you, I bet you could jump and run wherever the wind takes you."

Kol shrugged. "Might. Might not. It depends on what else is going on in my life," he told Vincent, setting the beer down.

They walked back into the main room and Vincent showed him where the other bottles went. When they were done, Vincent took Kol back to the office. "Here, I need a copy of your driver's license and social." Kol handed him both cards. "You from New Orleans?"

"Yes," Kol replied.

Vincent nodded. "My wife, Eva, and I are from the Treme section. Miss the food and music, but sometimes you just gotta go, ya know?"

"Yes, I _do_ ," Kol collected his cards and filled out a series of papers before Vincent placed them in a folder. "Welcome to the staff," he said with a grin, rubbing his hands together. "People should be coming in now to change or whatever. Speaking of… What size are you?"

Kol's eyes widened. "Large. I would say when it comes to shirts. Pants, it depends. _Why_?"

"You need to get into uniform," Vincent opened a box and began to look through it until he removed a pair of black pants and a blue button down shirt. "Blue or purple? We also have black."

"Blue is fine," Kol replied. When Vincent tossed him the shirt, Kol felt surprised that it was made of a fine cotton blend. This was no polyester mix that you would be forced into at a fast food joint. The pants were linen. "These must cost your boss a great deal of money."

"It sure _does_. He likes it when everything looks and feels quality." Walking to the door, Vincent stopped. "I'll be out by the bar when you're ready."

"Right," Kol replied. Jerking his T-shirt off, Kol kicked his shoes off before reaching for his pants.

"I thought the show did not start until _later_ ," a voice said and Kol turned to find a red head leaning in the doorway, with a wide grin. "Don't mind me? I'm just enjoying the view." She walked into the room and hopped onto the desk, crossing her legs to reveal plenty of skin under her black dress.

"Sorry to disappoint, darling, but I'm _not_ part of the talent," Kol told her, dropping his jeans to the floor and kicking them aside before pulling on the black pants.

"Pity," the woman said, her eyes moving over him, a slow grin appearing. Her eyes met his and she titled her head. "I would _love_ to see what kind of talents you have."

"I might show you if you'll let me dress, in peace," Kol told her, picking up the shirt off a box.

"I _like_ the sounds of that," the woman murmured. She slid off the desk top and walked over to Kol, placing her hands on his chest. "Yes, Vincent made a _very_ wise choice when he hired you. The customers will just eat you up."

Kol watched her walk out of the room, her hips doing a slow dance and he wished he could let Davina go. If only he had never met her, he could be on top of that little red head, on Vincent's bloody desk. On the other hand, if not for his desire to run away from Davina, he would never have met said red head.

Leaving the office, Kol walked up to the bar where the red head sat, sipping a drink. "Ah, you're back so soon. I thought my heart would break if you deprived me of your lovely company too much longer."

"Cut it out, Aurora," Vincent told the red head.

"Oh, Vincent. I'm _only_ teasing the poor chap. He's so delicious. All I can think to do is to spray him with whip cream and lick it off." Aurora watched Vincent shake his head. "Oh, _poor_ Vincent. I do make his job a trial." Turning to Kol, she held out her hand to him. "Aurora de Martel. My brother co-owns this establishment, along with twenty others world-wide, with his business partner, Lucien Castle."

"Her fiancé," Vincent added, causing Aurora to pout as she examined her ring.

"Only because my brother lost me in a poker game," Aurora said with a heavy sigh.

Kol's eye widened. "Your brother _bet_ you in a poker game?" he asked Aurora who nodded. "That's illegal." He wondered how much Rebekah would go for if he were to try that one.

"Not in our world," Aurora stated with a grin. "In our world, almost anything can be bartered or sold."

Kol shook his head. Remind him to never enter into a game with these people. "I think I need to…"

"Sweep the storage room," Vincent suggested.

"I can show him where the broom is," Aurora said, gleefully. Getting to her feet, she started to grab Kol's arm when Vincent held up a hand.

"Eva!" Vincent called to a tall woman who had just entered in a purple dress with a frown. "Babe, come meet our newest employee. Eva, Kol. Kol, my wife, Eva."

"Pleased to meet you," Kol offered her his hand.

Eva smirked back at him. "Well, Vince. You've _certainly_ outdone yourself with this one. The clients will not know whether to ask him for drinks or to try to rip his clothing off."

"My sentiments _exactly_ ," Aurora exclaimed.

"Could you show Kol where the storage room is?" Vincent asked his wife.

"Come along," Eva waved a finger at Kol and he wondered how long he would have this job if he pissed any of the clients off by telling them he wasn't for sale. "It's right through here," Eva led Kol into a room behind the office.

Kol took the broom that stood beside the door. "Thanks," he said.

Eva continued to smirk, without saying a word and then left him to his own devices. Entering the storage room, Kol began to sweep up an incredible lack of dust. He looked around at various, unlabeled boxes, wondering what they contained when someone came in. "Hello, you must be Kol," a shorter man, with close-cropped brown hair and a very white smile, greeted him.

"Yes, and you are?" Kol thought he knew who the man was but wasn't sure.

"Lucien Castle! Your new boss. Well, your boss's boss but you get the point, don't you?" Lucien laughed before crossing the room and holding out a hand.

"This is a golden opportunity," Kol told Lucien.

Lucien nodded. "It is. We usually don't hire people off the streets but how often do you find handsome men just wandering around?" Lucien watched Kol stare at him. "All the time in this town. But you, Vincent liked you, and if Vincent likes someone, then I like them, until they give me reason not to. You're not going to give me cause to dislike you, _are_ you, Kol?" Kol shook his head. "Good lad. Let's go see what the others are up to."

Leading the way, Lucien stopped by the bar and kissed Aurora on the cheek. She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes which moved to Kol for a second before finding the bar top.

"Everything in tip-top shape, Vincent?" Lucien asked, taking the cherry from Aurora's drink and sinking his teeth into it.

"Yes, sir," Vincent replied, wiping the bar.

"Good." Lucien grinned as he looked around the room. "I want things to be perfect for tonight."

"They will be," Aurora assured him. He turned to her and took her hand, kissing the back of it.

"My love," Lucien said quietly.

Kol's phone began to buzz in his pocket. "If you'll excuse me," he said.

"Go ahead," Lucien waved for him to take the call.

Walking close to the stage, Kol sucked in a deep breath before answering. "Hello?"

"Kol!" Davina's voice rang down the line and Kol felt his heart rate pick up speed.

"Yes, love," Kol replied, placing his hand on the stage.

" _When_ are you coming home?" Davina demanded.

Staring at a wall and not knowing how to respond, Kol shook his head. "I don't know, Davina."

" _Why_?" Davina yelled at him and he could see her, standing before him, her eyes full of fury and her lips curled back from her teeth. He wished he could go to her, to kiss her till she couldn't breathe. He wanted to hold her in his arms. But he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. A little distance would be what would quell the flames of their attraction for the time being.

"I can't come back just yet, love. I just got a job and Nik needs me here," Kol told her, knowing that he was lying and hating himself for it.

"Kol…" Davina's breathing quickened and he could hear the tears in her voice before a gasping sob came out. "Why did you do this to us?"

"Davina, I can't… I'm sorry," Kol had so many things he wanted to say to her but now was not the time.

"Fine. _Stay_ in your new life. And don't expect me to be waiting for you when you get back!" Davina yelled before hanging up on him.

"Davina! Davina?" Kol yelled into the phone. When he turned, he found Lucien watching with an amused look and Aurora looking less than pleased. "Sorry about that," Kol told them, pocketing his phone and coming back to stand beside the bar.

"Lover's quarrel?" Lucien inquired, placing his hand on Aurora's leg.

Shrugging, Kol glanced at his boss. "Just a needy, young bird who thought I'd come running the minute she asked me to." Staring at the shining bottles behind the bar, he looked back at Lucien. "Mind if I have a drink before work?"

"Certainly not," Lucien looked at the array. "How about a lovely Russian vodka?"

"Whatever does the trick," Kol replied. He took the glass that Vincent prepared for him.

"To freedom," Lucien toasted, grinning at Kol who forced himself to smile back before tipping his vodka back. He wondered how many of these he would need to drive the thought of a heart broken Davina Claire from his mind.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **KellyH: Hey! I'm glad you found the story and thank you for leaving a review!**

 **Guest: Thank you. I hope you still like the story.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, my lovely readers. Kol is about have more problems thanks to his family and new friend(?) On with the show…**

Chapter 6: Joys of Babysitting

Lucien's club opened without a problem and Kol had to admit that he felt like he used to; prior to Davina Claire's making his heart beat a little faster. His happiness was short lived when he went home to find Klaus having gotten off the phone with their father. It seemed that Mikael had threatened to cut Klaus off as well if he did not refuse Kol shelter.

"Kol, this is ridiculous," Klaus muttered under his breath, running his hands through his hair while Kol gathered his things into a box.

"It does not matter, brother. I have found a place of employment. I shall find new lodgings as well." Kol sounded much more chipper than he felt. Although Lucien Castle was a very generous employer and Kol was making three times what he had expected to make, he felt sick to his stomach at the idea of trying to find a new flat.

"Maybe you could stay here for the weekend and then move out after. Besides what your dad doesn't know, won't kill him," Caroline suggested, taking a seat on Klaus' knee.

Klaus frowned before adding. "Yes, well, I would extend that offer but it seems that father and mother intend to come to stay with us next week."

"What?" Caroline's eyes bulged. "You're kidding? I didn't even meet them when we were in New Orleans. Oh, my God! What am I going to wear? What will they think? We need to fix this place up like yesterday!" The blonde shot to her feet and hurried to find cleaning supplies.

Kol turned to Klaus. "I will see you again. Soon." He smiled, holding out the hand that did not hold the box to shake Klaus'.

"I would hope so," Klaus let out a laugh, yanking Kol into a one armed hug, patting him on the back and walking him to the door. "I hear your new place of employment is quite the hot spot. Would you be able to get Caroline and I in?"

Kol shrugged. "Maybe," he replied.

Walking out of the flat, Kol headed down the stairs and out into the night. His eyes felt sore from the long night. It was three o'clock in the morning and his next shift started at 6 p.m. He yawned, looking up and down the street. Perhaps he should have waited till the next morning to go looking for a flat. Weighing his options, Kol's phone began to buzz in his pocket and he picked it up to find an unknown number calling him.

Kol flipped the phone open. "Hello?" he called.

"Kol?" Lucien snapped, sounding irritable. "There is a bit of a problem I need help dealing with but I can't be in two places at once. Can you make it over to 2085 Edgemont Boulevard?"

"Umm," Kol looked up and down that street. "I am currently without a car." He hoped this would not be where Lucien fired him or threatened to cut out his spleen and to sell it on the black market.

"Fine. Fine. I will send my driver. Tell me where you?" Lucien sounded impatient and then there was the sound of a cry of pain in the background.

"Is everything alright on your end, mate?" Kol inquired.

"Lovely actually. Thanks for asking. Just a little problem with a lawyer who misread a contract. Nothing that can't be handled." Lucien let out a chuckle and Kol glanced down the street.

After a second of thought, Kol offered the street name that Klaus lived on and Lucien hung up on him. Holding his box to his chest, he wondered whether he should just scrap this whole new life and go home. When a black car with tinted windows pulled up, Kol got inside. The driver did not speak but drove ahead. He watched the city of San Francisco disappear and soon they were on the freeway. Noting the board that read Los Angeles, Kol adjusted in his seat. At least he wouldn't need to find a place to stay tonight since it looked like he would be working all night long.

The car parked and the driver, a pretty young woman, opened the door and stood aside for Kol to exit. "Mr. Castle said she would be in there," she pointed at a building. "Penthouse. You'll need this," she handed him a key card and Kol nodded with a forced smile.

Jogging up the long set of steps with his box, Kol arrived at the front door to the building. An older man stood at the desk. "Hello, sir. Can I help you?" he inquired with a pleasant smile.

"I work for Mr. Castle. He sent me to check up on a friend," Kol explained.

The older man's smile slipped but he came around the desk and led Kol to the elevators. Pushing a button, the man folded his arms over his chest. Kol wondered if he wasn't supposed to be manning the desk. When the doors opened, his companion waved for Kol to enter. "You slide the card in here, face up and it will take you, directly, to the penthouse. Have a pleasant evening, sir."

Sliding the card inside the elevator's slot, Kol had no idea what to expect when it sent him up and the doors opened. This wasn't his first time at a penthouse. Rich people did not bother him. What he did worry about was who Lucien had sent him to look in on and what that meant exactly. "Hello?" he called, entering a spacious room, full of glass and all things techy.

"Kol?" Aurora cried with a huge smile as she came out from behind a corner. "I would suspect that he would have sent someone less… something." She grinned as she moved toward him, and then bumped into the edge of a glass table top and cried out in pain. A full glass slipped to the floor, breaking into little pieces at her feet and she tilted her head to the side, seemingly fascinated with the shards. Leaning down, she picked up one and placed it to her wrist. "Did you ever wonder what your corpse would look like? I always thought I would make a delightful corpse," she mused, running the blade along her skin, causing blood to leak out over her pale skin.

"Shit!" Kol groaned. He hurried over to her, taking the piece of glass and flinging it away from her.

"It doesn't hurt," Aurora sighed as Kol pressed a hand over her wrist. "I've done it plenty. Trust me, I'll let you know when it hurts," she sighed and then let out a laugh.

Shaking his head, Kol picked her up and carried her further into the apartment. He set her on a bed and then went in search of a towel. Returning with a fluffy white towel in hand, he felt irritated when Aurora started to slide her robe off. "Please, keep your clothing on, darling," he chided her, placing the towel to her wrist while she pouted.

"No fun. I thought you would be so much fun," Aurora breathed into his hair before grabbing him and kissing him. "What Lucien doesn't know won't get us killed," she whispered, pulling Kol on top of her.

"Stop!" Kol demanded, yanking away from Aurora and taking several steps away. "Look. I need this job," he told her.

"Yes. And I need to have sex. Come, help us out?" Aurora pouted, reaching down and easing her underwear off before throwing them at him, hitting him in the face with the tiny piece of lace and satin.

"Would that I could," Kol retorted. "Maybe before. Not now," he muttered, flinging her underwear on the bed. He could use a good distraction from his Davina problem but having it off with the boss' girl did not seem like the best solution to his problems.

"What was with the box earlier?" Aurora asked, pulling her night gown off and throwing it on the floor.

Kol adverted his eyes while she began to dance on the bed. "Nothing that concerns you."

"Everything that concerns you, concerns me. I fancy you, Kol. Why, oh, why, do you not return my feelings? It's enough to give a girl a complex," Aurora sang, diving off the bed backwards, forcing Kol to have to catch her so she would not give herself a concussion. "You fancy me," she cried when he sat her down. She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Kiss me!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry but I'm not interested," Kol replied, taking her arms and forcing them down at her sides.

"Sure you are. I can feel that some bits of you are quite interested. Fine. You can play hard to get. I don't mind doing the chasing." Aurora started to giggle as she walked over to a set of balcony doors and flung them open. "Would you like to watch me fly?" she asked.

"No. Not truly," Kol remarked, grabbing her robe and hurrying after her while she tried to climb on top of the railing. "Oh, it's slippery out here," she called to Kol.

Gritting his teeth, Kol reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist while wrapping her in her robe with the other. "Bloody well cease and desist with these antics. I am not a babysitter for the insane!" he shouted.

Aurora's eyes met his with a wounded look and tears filled them. "You think me mad?" she questioned him, her lower lip trembling. "They all think I'm mad. Well, I am not. It's the drugs. They do things to me. Terrible things. They make me weak and tired and ill. I can't think or feel when I'm on them. I hate them. And the drugs."

"Who is them?" Kol asked her, grateful that she wasn't trying to kill herself, again, for the moment.

"My brother and Lucien. They fill me with drugs and want me to sit and stand and behave. I am not a dog." Aurora began to sob, pressing her face into Kol's shoulder.

Not knowing what to do on this sort of occasion, Kol sat with the red head, allowing her to sob into his shirt. It took a total of twenty minutes, one tissue box and Kol's ability to joke about anything to get Aurora into bed and off to dreamland. Exhaling, Kol sat down beside her, not wanting to leave her, in case she decided to try to take another plunge. He opened his phone and stared at Davina's phone number.

Glancing at Aurora, Kol slipped into the hallway, with one eye on the sleeping woman. He hit Davina's number. She would be in bed, he thought. Given the time difference, she should be fast asleep, dreaming of her senior prom. Sliding to the floor, he relaxed into the cool wall behind him. "Hello?" Davina sounded groggy. "Kol?"

"Yes," Kol whispered into the phone.

"Why are you calling me?" Davina inquired. He could still sense anger, betrayal all things that meant she would not hear him out. "Aren't you too busy with your other life?"

"Davina, darling, this is not simple for me," Kol replied, rubbing the bridge of his nose until her realized he looked like Elijah and then slapped his hand on the floor.

"Why can't you come home?" Davina asked, her tone bitter.

"Because, love, I think it best if we had a bit of space, don't you, with your friend, Timothy, and all that. It's good for girls your age to be with fellows their own age," Kol reasoned while Davina let out sigh.

"Fine. Whatever. Just tell me that you'll come home for a visit. I miss talking to you." Davina waited for his answer and Kol felt weak. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see her face. To finally kiss her.

"Kol, please, say that you'll come see me," Davina pleaded.

Kol felt himself smiling. "Right then. Yes, I will come back for a quick visit so we might catch up. Then I had best be back. I have a new job at a nightclub that is the envy of celebrities, royals and other silly people, everywhere." He continued to smile when he heard Davina let out a laugh. She had been so mad at him during their last conversation he feared she would never speak to him in a civil tongue again.

"That sounds like fun," Davina enthused. "Maybe I'll just come to you. You can teach me the newest moves, you know, if you think you can handle me." She started to giggle and Kol sucked in a breath, imagining the two of them on the dance floor. Her body would be pressed to his, grinding against him while he held her tightly, waiting for the night to end when he would take her home and slide her clothes off before…

"Kol?" Davina called. "Earth to Kol, are you there?" There was more laughter and Kol felt himself smiling as he heard her gasp. "Crap. My mom is up," she whispered. "I've got to go. Call me back soon?"

"You better believe I will, Davina Claire," Kol replied and he heard a dial tone ringing in his ear. After a long moment, he hung up and stared at a spot on the opposite wall.

"Is it comfortable on the floor?" Aurora inquired, glancing down at Kol with an amused look, her bare leg moving side to side.

Kol sat on the floor, watching Aurora and missing Davina. His body responded to both of these temptations, making him grit his teeth. He was not that sort of man anymore, he swore to himself. "Yes. Very," he told the red head who smirked.

"Perhaps the couch would be better," Aurora suggested.

Getting to his feet, Kol walked back into the living room and laid down on the couch. He closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep when he felt something on top of him. Looking up, he found Aurora, with a pillow. "Are you going to smother me with that?" he asked her.

"No." Aurora shook her head with a look of amusement. "You're kind. And I am offering you kindness in return. Don't get used to it." Handing him the pillow, Aurora watched Kol for a moment while he adjusted the blanket she had placed on top of him and then waltzed back to her bedroom.

Kol fell to sleep dreaming of Davina. She came into the apartment and kissed him gently. Pushing the blanket off, Kol grinned, pulling her to him. He kissed her back, yanking her clothes off and then pulling the blanket back over them as he moved her legs around his waist. Davina cried out as he moved forward. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Um-hmm," she moaned, biting her lower lip as he stroked her arm. "I'm okay, Kol," she sighed.

Kol smiled as he held her, finally allowing himself to immerse himself in her. "I love you, Davina."

"I love you, too," Davina sighed, laying her head on his chest as they stilled.

Waking up the next morning, Kol jerked upward, staring around himself, feeling disoriented. "Good morning, sleepy head," Aurora cried, walking to him in a tight red dress and grinning from ear to ear. "Did you enjoy your dream last night? I came to check and see if you need anything but you seemed to be preoccupied with someone named Davina. And, I must say, I am slightly jealous. From the sounds of it, she's getting what I want," Aurora teased him, leaning down and stroking his cheek with glittering eyes.

"Yes, well. I should get out of here. My brother kicked me out last night and it seems I need new lodgings," Kol informed his boss' fiancée who grinned.

"Stay here if you like. It could be so much fun, you and me, staying here for the weekend," Aurora clapped her hands together.

"This isn't your home?" Kol asked, rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Heavens no. This is one of them. I have many homes. All over the world. This is just somewhere I go when I want to get away from everything and everyone. Except for people I like, lucky you," she placed a finger on the tip of his nose with a pleased smile before dancing away.

"What is that smell?" Kol called after her. He stood up and made his way into the open-air kitchen. "Oh." He watched Aurora stare uncertainly at something that began to let off a lot of steam.

"You do not boil scrambled eggs?" Aurora asked, looking at Kol with wide eyes.

"No." Kol shook his head. Grabbing a towel, he picked up the pot and placed it in the sink, carefully lifting the lid with his face as far away from the steam as he could, he set the lid down and ran water over the contents. Then the stove elicited more steam. "What in God's name?" he cried. "What did you place in there?" he pointed at the oven, half afraid to ask.

"Bacon?" Aurora replied, blinking at the oven.

"Right," Kol sighed when he moved to open the oven and flames shot out. "Fire extinguisher?" he yelled.

"This thing?" Aurora asked, taking the tiny fire extinguisher down from its hook. "I thought it was for decorative propose. No one knows why; they're rather hideous things," she rambled on while Kol turned the hose toward the flames and began to put out the fire while the smoke alarm blared in the background and the sprinklers began to drench them. "Oh, dear!" Aurora cried. "Are they supposed to do that?"

"Yes!" Kol yelled. A bell sounded through the room. "What's that?" he shouted.

"The front desk!" Aurora shouted back. "How do you turn that infernal thing off?" she pointed at the fire alarm.

"Pulling the battery," Kol replied, he moved to take out the battery while Aurora dealt with the front desk man.

Soon firefighters entered the penthouse. "Ma'am, do you know that it is very dangerous to cook greasy foods in an oven like this?" one of the firefighters asked Aurora, pulling out a flat pan with bacon on it.

"I was trying to cook for my friend but it seems I should have ordered out," Aurora sighed. "Of all the things my parents taught me, cooking did not seem to be a priority."

"You might want to let someone else cook next time," one of the other firefighters told Aurora, not seeming to be amused.

"I will. I promise," Aurora told them, escorting them back to the elevator and then grinning at Kol. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Aurora told Kol, "There is a new place that serves mimosas and cavier for breakfast, I want to try."

"How lovely," Kol quipped when his phone began to ring.

Answering it, Kol frowned. "Hello, Kol, how are things going with my bride-to-be?" Lucien cried.

"They're…" Kol trailed off when Aurora began to take off her clothes again with a wicked grin. "They're excellent, sir," he finally answered.

"Good to hear. I will be unavailable for the next week. You won't mind keeping an eye on Rora for me, will you? Make sure that other men keep their mitts off her?"

"Not a problem," Kol replied, hanging up.

"Want to watch me shower?" Aurora inquired, grinning back at Kol.

Kol grinned back. "I would prefer to keep my eyeballs. Perhaps another time." Aurora smirked before turning around and walking away.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: I try to.**

 **KellyH: Thank you. I tend to have a lot of characters in my fics, sometimes, too many. Ha, ha.**

 **Princess: Thank you! I know. Hopefully they will bring Davina back because they brought Bonnie back from the dead a lot on TVD, even when it looked like a hope was lost. Yes, there is some drama Kol and Davina have to overcome to be together and return to a happy time.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, my lovely readers. Sorry about the long wait. I hope to get caught up with updating before the end of the year. On with the show…**

Chapter 7: Women Troubles

Night. Kol Mikaelson loved nights. He loved being awake until the sun came up. He loved when the sky blackened and the moon hung high. Going out with his mates or a bird. All of it made him feel high on life. Tonight stood out as out of the ordinary. Tonight he would be working. Not dancing. Not chatting up a lovely girl. Not tossing back a shot and howling with delight at the absurdity of life. Tonight was all work…

Stepping into Lucien's club, Kol stood aside while Vincent directed his fellow employees to their various duties. Aurora sat on a seat by the bar, sipping a martini and looking bored until she caught sight of Kol. "Kol, my favorite bartender. Come here, love!" she yelled at him, twisting in her seat and clapping her hands as if he were her puppy.

Kol smirked back at the girl. She was utterly mad and at any other time in his life he might be charmed and fall madly in love with her. But she was not Davina Claire who stayed in New Orleans, where she bloody well belonged, for now.

"Aurora!" Kol greeted the red head with a kiss on the cheek. She threw her arms around his neck, leaning into him. He tried not to stare at her chest. Her dress plunged down to her navel. "Down girl," he muttered into her ear, pushing a layer of think waves behind her flesh exposed shoulder.

"Now, now, Kol. I was just being friendly. Don't get the wrong impression," Aurora scolded him with a wink and a Cheshire Cat grin. She swatted him on the rear making him growl. Her smile widened, becoming wicked. The things he might do to her if he were not spoken for and she were not engaged to a possible homicidal lunatic.

Speaking of said fiancée… "Aurora, my love. And Kol, my best new employee. Miss me?" Lucien inquired, coming out from the back, flinging his arms wide for Aurora to dutifully run into. She leapt on him, her arms and legs encircling him as she pressed kisses to everywhere but his lips which were puckered. He looked slightly dismayed when she hopped down and headed back to the bar, hips swaying.

"Of course we missed you," Kol answered, trying to defuse the possible tension between his boss and his boss's bird.

"Ah, how sweet of you to say," Lucien strode over to Kol, patting him on the cheek before grinning at Vincent.

"Hey, boss man, good to see you back and well," Vincent said with an easy smile that Kol felt did not come so easily. "What can I get you?"

"A Molotov cocktail to throw through my competitor's office window," Lucien said with a pause. "But I will settle for a gin and tonic."

"Right," Vincent went about preparing the drink while Lucien placed a hand on Aurora's bare leg.

Lucien turned to Aurora. "You haven't been lonely without me, have you? I hope that Kol has seen to whatever you might need in my absence."

"He was rather adequate," Aurora replied with a grin as she turned to face Lucien, her eyes flicking to Kol's for a second.

"Then you won't mind if he looks after you during my next trip later this week?" Lucien inquired, rubbing her leg.

Aurora twisted a lock of hair around her finger. "Certainly not," she said slowly with a grin.

"Well, then it is settled," Lucien smiled. "Now, Kol, it's back to regular work for you. Vincent will show you the ropes."

Kol took this as an indication that he needed to get his arse behind the bar. Walking around the length of the bar, he came to a stop beside Vincent. "Where do I start?" he asked.

"Have you ever prepared a drink?" Vincent asked him.

Kol laughed. "Of course."

"For someone other than yourself?" Vincent added and Lucien let out a laugh.

"No," Kol replied. "Well, unless you mean the countless birds that I've shagged."

"Oh, do tell," Aurora said, taking the cherry from her drink and sliding it into her mouth in a way that made Kol hesitate in answering.

"Come, Aurora, I think Kol needs some time learning the basics. Let's go back to my office." Lucien took Aurora's hand, leading her from the bar and back toward the office. Aurora glanced back at Kol. He felt a pang of compassion for the girl who looked like she might be going before the executioner rather than being alone with her beloved.

Shaking his head, Kol forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. He watched Vincent prepare a very simple drink: a dry martini. "Now it's your turn," Vincent said.

Eva came over to lean against the bar, smirking at Kol's attempt at making a drink. "Let's see whether my husband's teaching skills are up to par," she said, giving Vincent a teasing smile before downing the drink. "Not bad. After another twenty tries, you might make a proper one. But I will not be playing taster for all of those. I have duties of my own."

It took Kol many more tries to get the simple drinks down before he moved on to the more complicated ones. Thankfully, he got the hang of it just as the doors opened. He served at least fifty drinks before a couple of familiar faces showed up. "Nik. Caroline. Thank God!" Kol leaned over the bar, giving Caroline a kiss on the cheek and Klaus a one-armed hug.

"Are you enjoying your new employment?" Klaus shouted over the thundering music.

"Very much so. Nothing like doing a hard-day's labor and reaping the benefits," Kol told them as girls thrust their chests at him and waved money.

"I see some of the benefits," Klaus said, examining the clientele and their lack of clothing with raised eyebrows and a knowing smirk.

"Klaus!" Caroline swatted him on the chest. "Seriously! I can't take him anywhere. Looking around the club, she grinned. "But this is seriously awesome. Thanks for scoring us the invite. I can't wait to brag to my old friends from home about this place."

Lucien came over to the bar. "Actually you can thank me. Lucien Castle. This happens to be my establishment."

"Really? Oh, my God. Klaus, it's Lucien freakin' Castle! You're like a celebrity! Oh, my freakin' God!" Caroline literally jumped up and down. "Can I take a pic with you and put it on my Instagram account. My friend, Bonnie will die." Pulling her phone out from between her breasts, Caroline held it between her hands with a pleading look.

Lucien's eyes moved from Caroline's chest to her face and his grin widened. "Now how could I deny a face like yours?" he asked her, placing an arm around her waist and pressing his cheek to her rather red one, smiling as Caroline took a quick pic.

Klaus let out a cough to gain Caroline's attention. "Sweetheart, I think you've managed to take up a sufficient amount of Mr. Castle's time. Let the poor man get back to making people famous."

"It's not a bother," Lucien replied, not looking at Klaus, his eyes focused on Caroline. "I never feel put out by chatting with a pretty girl."

"Well, the pretty girl is spoken for, mate," Klaus said, slinging a possessive arm around Caroline's shoulders.

Caroline glared at Klaus but Lucien spoke before she could. "Not to worry. I'm spoken for as well. My lovely fiancée, Aurora, is around here somewhere. We must have dinner some night. My poor dear is always complaining that we need to meet new people. I seem to monopolize her time. You know how it is when you love someone so much you can't stand the idea of them spending time chatting with other people… Klaus, was it?"

"Yes. Klaus Mikaelson," Klaus replied slowly, his look cautious.

"Wait. You wouldn't be an artist, would you?" Lucien grinned. "My soon to be brother-in-law wanted to procure one of your works for the club. Lucky me, I have you here to work out the details. Come. Sit at my table. We'll hash it out." Lucien suddenly had Klaus thinking about money and that would be enough to keep his older brother preoccupied for the next hour or five.

Caroline deflated and followed the two men, leaving Kol all by his lonesome. "You want a break?" Vincent asked Kol.

"Dear God yes," Kol retorted. "I love this job thus far but I need to stop standing here."

"Cool. I've got someone coming in right now. Go. Sit. Relax in the back. You've got thirty minutes." Vincent went back to taking drink orders while Kol strode out from behind the counter.

"Hey there, handsome. Buy me a drink?" a cute blonde called.

"Sorry, love. I've got a girl waiting for my call," Kol told her. He headed into the back room, sitting down on an empty crate and pulled out his phone. Punching in the familiar number, he waited for Davina to pick up.

"Hello, you've reached Davina Claire's phone. I'm not available to talk. Sorry. Let me know what you want and I'll call you back soon." Davina's voice made Kol smile. He just wished she had bothered to answer him. He missed her more than she could possibly guess.

"Hello, Davina. It's me. I was hoping to chat with the loveliest girl in the world, but it seems that someone else or something else is a bit more pressing. In the meantime, I thought I would tell you that I have learned to mix twenty-five new drinks and I can actually pay for my own flat now. It would be a lot less dull with you around but beggars cannot be choosers. And I will send a token of my affection soon. Have a good night, love."

Hanging up, Kol let out a deep sigh. Closing his eyes, he imagined Davina's smile. It made his heart squeeze and his entire body react. The entire reason he sat here, on this blasted crate, not in her bed. Gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes, glaring at the opposite wall.

"Enjoying your break?" Aurora asked, coming in and holding a pair of champagne flutes, filled to overflowing, champagne sliding down her fingers. Kol found himself entertaining the thoughts of licking the liquid off her fingers. Damn his stupid body. And damn him for fancying a girl who he couldn't be with. Not yet. He could be with Aurora. It would be simpler. Just lust. Just sex. Just physical gratification. But he wanted to be better for Davina. She deserved only the best that the world had to offer.

"Do you want this glass or shall I drink them both?" Aurora inquired, coming to stand in front of him.

"Thank you," Kol said, accepting the proffered glass.

Aurora looked around. "I would sit but I do not want to tear my poor dress. Whatever shall I do?" She gave Kol an innocent look before breaking into a grin and wrapping an arm around his neck, waiting for him to pull her onto his knees.

Kol obliged her only because he had always had a soft spot for dangerous women that could be the end of his life as he knew it. Case in point, his feelings for a girl that were acted upon would send him straight to jail. "Comfy?" he inquired, taking a sip of his drink.

"Incredibly so," Aurora said with a giggle, taking a sip of her drink. "Who were you chatting with when I came in?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"My girl," Kol said, not thinking. He felt like he could tell Aurora things that he might hesitate to tell others. Strange. Perhaps this is what it was like to befriend someone of the opposite sex, something that he had thought impossible previous to this time in his life.

"You have a girl?" Aurora grinned at him. "Well, tell me all about her?" she squealed. "And why is she not with you? You wicked man, you; you know my secrets. Now, fess up. Confession is good for the soul."

"Davina. Davina is the sweetest, most stubborn, willful, intelligent, radiant young woman I have ever met. There is not a moment that I do not want to be with her, to hold her in my arms and shower her with affection." Kol knew he might seem ridiculously absurd or like one of those men who were in some retched romantic comedy but he could not help how Davina made him feel.

"Oh, you're in love. How charming!" Aurora cried, wrapping her free hand around his neck and hugging him. "Good on you. Tell me, when do I get to meet her?"

Shaking his head, Kol looked at the cold, gray cement floor beneath his large black shoes. "Of that, I am not sure. You see there is a bit of a hiccup."

"And that would be?" Aurora searched his face for a clue.

Kol sighed. "She's seventeen. And I can't allow myself to be with her. Not yet. Not legally. And she would be distraught if I were to be incarcerated."

"Yes. Well, that is a fine mess. Dear. Poor Kol," Aurora ran a hand through his hair, peering into his eyes. "Poor, poor boy. All these feelings and no release. What a shame." Shaking her head, Aurora placed her head back on his shoulder. "Well, cheer up. A year does not last forever. And we must find you a distraction. Something. Or someone to while away the time with. Perhaps."

Aurora's lips glided over Kol's neck and he felt his body reacting to her, again, damn it. Traitorous beast. "Come now, love, let me help you," Aurora mumbled, pulling at his shirt buttons.

"Aurora, I am sure that we would have an affair that would put most of my prior encounters to shame but I think Lucien might object," Kol muttered into her hair as she sat her flute down, turning on his legs and wrapping her legs around him.

"Shush, love. Let me help," Aurora murmured, sliding her hand down his shirt front and toward his zipper. She pressed her lips to his and Kol almost let her continue. It had felt like forever since he had been with a woman and he thought he might explode from the pressure building up inside him.

"Aurora, no," Kol said, finding that last bit of self-restraint and standing up, setting her on her feet. "I am fond of you. I hope you know that. You are a lovely companion and I enjoy talking with you more than most any girl but Davina."

"I tried," Aurora sighed, grinning and bending over to pick up her flute. Kol's eyes shot to the ceiling, trying not to stare at her bare breasts which were revealed when she bent over. Smirking, Aurora stood up. "Shall we rejoin the chaos?"

With a quick nod, Kol walked over to the door and opened it. He felt startled when Eva poked her head inside. Her eyes lingered on Kol, a tilt of her lips making it obvious what she thought he and Aurora had been up to. "Hello, lovers," she greeted them, hand on her hip. "Kol, Vincent's looking for you. Looks like he's finally getting his ass kicked by the crowd." She linked arms with Aurora.

Poor Vincent really was struggling with drink orders while young men and women gave each other looks of disgust as Vincent poured drinks as quickly as he could. Kol moved behind the bar and began to ask irritable customers what their orders were. Lucien came to stand by the end of the bar, watching Kol intently. He wondered if Lucien had noticed Aurora's absence. Gulping, he continued to make shake, mix and pour to the delight of the patrons. When the last order was up, he turned to Vincent.

"Not bad for a virgin," Vincent joked. "Guess we have something to celebrate tonight."

Lucien came to stand in front of them. "Marvelous show, gentlemen. I believe that with a little more training Kol will be coming up our ranks." Turning, he waved toward Klaus and Caroline who had been sitting in a booth. "Come. Come. It's time to toast your brother's success," Lucien grinned at Kol who forced a smile in return.

Klaus came to stand opposite Kol and they grinned at each other while Vincent made them more drinks. Kol took the glass of champagne that Vincent had poured, trying not to think about the awkward encounter with Aurora. "To my baby brother who has landed on his feet more times than a cat," Klaus said, holding up his glass.

"To my new favorite co-worker," Vincent nodded at Kol while Eva scoffed, coming to join them.

"To the man who has much more in store for him in the future than he could possibly dream off. Doors are opening for Kol," Lucien announced, clinking his glass with Kol's.

"To a good friend. May you find the happiness you deserve," Aurora said, taking Lucien's glass and taking a long sip from it as she eyed Kol. "I truly can't wait to see what you do next."

"Thank you for the support," Kol said and he would have gone on but his phone began to ring. "Excuse me," he said, pulling it out and seeing Davina's name. "I need to take this."

Moving away from the counter, Kol walked as far away as he could get. "Davina?" he whispered.

"Kol. Hi. I have a cold and I missed your call. I miss you. A lot," Davina said quietly into the phone before blowing her nose. "Can I come visit?"

"Davina, I would love you to…but I have quite a bit going on right now. Maybe in a couple of months. You can bring Josh. I'm sure he'd love to see the club I'm working at."

"Okay…" Davina's disappointment made Kol's heart clench. He wanted her there, with him, now, more than she could possibly know. "So…"

"So…" Kol waited for Davina to say something.

"Can you just stay on the line until I go back to sleep. I can't talk too much because my head feels like someone poured cement inside it." Davina giggled and then sneezed.

"Right. I can do that. Let me see. My boss, Lucien wants to buy one of Nik's disastrous paintings. And Nik thought he was making a play for his girl. Maybe he was making a play for his girl. Although he has a girl of his own… It's all very dramatic. Rebekah would love it."

"Rebekah's crazy," Davina mumbled into the phone.

Kol began to laugh. "Yes. Yes, she is."

Davina giggled again. "I miss you, Kol."

"I miss you, too, darling," Kol murmured, rubbing his eyes. He really, really missed her.

"I love you, Kol," Davina said quietly. He could hear grogginess filling her voice.

After a long pause Kol replied. "I love you, too, Davina Claire," he told her sincerely. His heart beat frantically in his chest. He had believed that he would say it to her in person if he ever got the courage to say it at all, not on the bloody phone.

A long pause made Kol's heart stop for a millisecond and then a loud snore on Davina's end made him let out a laugh. More than likely she hadn't even heard him. Sighing, he hung up and slipped his phone into his pocket. Yes, he would tell Davina he loved her in person one day and it would be as if she had never said it before.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest reviews:**

 **Kellyh: Great! We might have to wait just a little bit longer before we see a Kolvina reunion but it will happen.**

 **Princess: Things are getting better for Kolvina but Aurora could be problem… We shall see…**

 **Guest: It's here. It's here. Sorry about the wait.**

 **Guest: Finally updated.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers. I will updating this story at least once more this month and at least twice next. On with the show…**

Chapter 8: The Rush and the Fall

Toward the end of the week Lucien went on another of his trips; leaving me to deal with Aurora. She was a demanding girl. She forced me to drive her out to Rodeo Drive. Aurora whipped out a black credit card and the shop girls went flying about; trying to accommodate her every whim.

"Champagne, love?" Aurora called to me as I shrugged, looking around the boutique that she dragged me into. "Two glasses," she called to a girl who looked like she might have a breakdown. Aurora smiled, coming over to lean against my side, picking up a scarf and wrapping it around my neck. "What do you think, girls? Isn't he pretty?"

"Yes, Miss De Martel!" they chirped, bringing her dresses and shoes to try on.

I pulled the scarf off, placing it back on the mannequin that Aurora had taken it from. Aurora pouted but did not say a word. Instead she began to undress in the middle of the floor, her bare back exposed to the large plate glass window and whoever might be window shopping. I quickly moved behind her, grabbing the first piece of clothing I saw and holding it in front of her. "Go!" I ordered her.

Aurora twisted her head to grin up at me, trying to dodge away when I scooped her up and carried her back into one of the dressing rooms. "This should have been a scene in _Pretty_ _Woman_ ," Aurora said, sliding a hand down my chest while I moved away from her, slipping back out of the dressing room but blocking her exit. "Oh, Kol, stop being so shy. You've seen me naked before!" she called as a salesgirl came forward with an evening gown and eyed me.

"She's teasing me, darling," I told the girl with a smile. She blushed and handed me the dress. Aurora pulled the door open and I handed it to her. She grinned before closing the door. This woman seemed to take perverse pleasure in torturing me. Knowing that I was in love with someone who I couldn't be with—in the all the senses of the word—and taunting me with what I could have, if I did not value my own life.

"Kol, what do you think of this dress?" Aurora asked. Snapping me out my thoughts, she emerged from the dressing room in a long blue gown. She spun for me, showing the back of the dress which barely covered her arse and dropped to the floor. "Do you like it?" she asked, looking shy.

"It's marvelous," I meant it. She looked extraordinarily beautiful in it.

"You mean it?" Aurora asked, pressing her hands together and I nodded. Laughing, she leapt into my arms, pressing kisses all over my face. "You are a _wonderful_ friend. What would I do without you? Never mind, you're _never_ going to leave me. So I'll never have to find out."

I thought it better not to tell her that I did not intend on spending the rest of my life as Lucien's employee. I had a life to get home to. Family and a girl. This was just a short chapter before my real life began again. A little adventure to tell my kids about.

"We should find a gift for your Davina," Aurora said, flinging the dressing room door open again and slipping the dress off. She did love to be nude. "What do you think she would like? A dress? Shoes? Maybe jewelry? We can go to Tiffany's. I love Tiffany's! Maybe you can design something for her. Or you can get her some chocolate. Girls love chocolate. Or you could—"

"Aurora, dear, slow down!" I said and Aurora nodded, her eyes glowing still as she was slipping back into the dress she had worn to the shop. Her hands went to her head.

"I do not feel well, Kol, I think I need to rest," Aurora murmured before her eyes rolled up in her head and she passed out.

"Is she okay?" one of the salesgirls cried, coming to stand near the dressing room, clutching a dress.

I moved inside the room and gathered Aurora into my arms. "I don't know. I'll take her to hospital to find out. Can we have the blue dress there," I nodded at the dress that Aurora had liked so much, "put aside for her. For when we come back. She loved it."

"Oh, yes, sir," the girl nodded. "Would you like me to show you the back entrance?"

Nodding, I carried Aurora out to the back, texting the driver to come pick us up. We waited for only a couple of minutes before the driver pulled up, opening the back door and I told her we needed to go to the hospital. "That's not necessary. Ms. De Martel has a private physician who will come to see her. I will make the call," she told me and I had no choice but to sit beside Aurora, pulling her head against my shoulder and hoping she was okay.

As much as I feared how Lucien might react if something happened to his fiancée on my watch, I also feared for Aurora because she was growing on me. "Come now, love, wake up for me, won't you?" I said quietly, stroking her pale cheek. Aurora continued to slumber.

When we arrived at her building; I carried Aurora through the doors and to the elevator. Once we were inside the penthouse, I took her back to her room and laid her down, kicking off my shoes and pulling her close to me.

We only waited ten minutes before the doctor came. He did not seem at all concerned. His first stop was at the medicine cabinet. "Looks like she's been mixing the wrong meds, again. Okay. I'm going to give her something that will make her sick to clear her system of the drugs she's taken." The doctor opened his bag and pulled out another vial of pills.

The doctor got Aurora into a sitting position.

"Aurora, you need to take this. It will make you feel better," he said. Aurora gave him a wary look, her eyelids heavy before she opened her mouth and swallowed the pill, lying back down. The doctor then turned to me. "You'll need to keep a close eye on her for the next _twelve_ hours," he advised me. "Make sure she doesn't take anything that wasn't prescribed to her and in the exact dosage it was prescribed. My number is on her phone, if there is a problem."

I thanked the man and walked him to the elevator before making my way back to Aurora's side. My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Hello?" I said quietly, rubbing Aurora's arm.

"Kol," Davina greeted me chirpily. "I have great news!"

"Tell me all about it, love," I replied, placing a hand to Aurora's forehead, watching her beginning to shift in her sleep, her face contorting and her body curling inward.

"I received a prize for this portrait I made and you'll _never_ guess what my subject was," Davina sounded so excited and I wanted to sound equally so but I was worried about what Aurora's doctor had given her. Maybe I should take her to the hospital and let the consequences be damned?

"Oh," I tried to concentrate on my conversation with Davina. I loved talking to her and I would do almost anything to be where she was right then but I simply couldn't be.

"Uhhhh," Aurora moaned pitifully and then sat up. "I'm going to be sick," she cried out, grasping my shoulder. "I'm going to be horribly sick!" Her face looked waxen and she had begun to sweat, her hair sticking to her head.

"Kol, who is that?" Davina sounded alarmed.

"It's a friend of mine. She wasn't feeling well and her doctor gave her something. Davina, I've got to go right now but I will call you back soon. I promise, darling," I said quickly, hanging up and helping Aurora into her large bathroom. She sunk to her knees, vomiting into the toilet, her entire body shaking. "You're going to be okay," I said, rubbing her back as she cried.

"I hate this!" Aurora sobbed into the toilet bowl. "I hate all of this! I want to die!" She continued to shake.

"I'm going to get you a robe," I said. "Do not try to go anywhere!"

Getting to my feet, I went into the bedroom, grabbed a fluffy looking robe from inside her closet and carried it back inside. Aurora looked like she might die as she sat, shaking uncontrollably, her teeth chattering and her body convulsing. "Okay, love, we're going to the hospital," I told her, moving to pick her up when Aurora grabbed a fist full of my shirt.

"No! You _mustn't_. They will lock me away again! Please, Kol! You mustn't! You don't _know_ what it is like to be surrounded by those people, drooling and babbling to themselves. There is _nothing_ lovely there. Nothing grows there. Everything is _stagnant_ and _grey_. I _can't_ be there again! _Please_!" Aurora began to sob.

"Alright. Alright. I won't take you to the hospital." I had no idea how to help her. I feared what the doctor and Lucien were doing to her. Maybe her brother could help. "What about your brother?" I asked, stroking her hair away from her face.

Aurora shook her head. "No! _Never_ Tristan! He's _worse_ than Lucien. Lucien wants me to be his pretty little wife, always at his side, always adoring him. But my brother, my brother would have me locked away. And I would never come out again. Never Tristan! Promise me, Kol! As my friend, _promise_ me!"

"I promise," I replied, holding her while she cried into my chest. After awhile, Aurora fell asleep and I carried her back to her bed. I laid down beside her, holding her to me, watching her sleep. I thought of Davina. I owed her an explanation but I did not know what I should tell her. "I am taking care of my mentally ill friend who has no one else to rely on? I'm busy right now, Davina, but I do want to hear all about your triumph. Please, don't hate me, love, for leaving you and for caring for another woman. No, darling, not like I care for you. She's a friend…" No, none of that would help. Keep it short and sweet.

Easing away from Aurora, I grabbed my phone and called Davina. Her phone went to voicemail and I sucked in a breath when it came time to speak. "Davina, I am sorry about hanging up on you the way I did. I need you to know that I wouldn't if it weren't a crisis. My friend is sick and I need to take care of her right now. I promise you one day I will have a better explanation. Perhaps she can help you understand better than I can. Call me back."

I hung up and walked back to the bed, lying down and holding Aurora while she slept, shaking every once in awhile and muttering to herself things that I did not understand. When she awoke, she sat up and placed a hand over her mouth.

"Oh, I must smell _terrible_ ," she exclaimed. "And you saw me sick like that. How unattractive! I must bathe and scrub my mouth a million times over!" Squealing, Aurora tried to leap from the bed but did not have energy to, yet. I got up and helped her to her feet. She leaned against me as I led her into the bathroom. I turned on the water while Aurora leaned against the sink, brushing her teeth and muttering to herself about how ghastly she looked. I helped her undress and slip into the bath.

For once there were no jokes about sex between us or flirtation while I scrubbed her back and washed her hair. I wondered what Lucien would think if he came in at that moment. Probably the worst. Worry about my boss's opinions flew away as I helped Aurora back out of the tub into a fresh set of towels. She looked better, more like her old self but she needed to eat.

"I have to take my pills," Aurora told me, glancing at the medicine cabinet.

"Okay. I'll get them," I told her. I helped her back into the bedroom before returning to the medicine cabinet. Never in my life had I seen this many bottles of pills in any person's home with names I had only seen on commercials and some I had never heard of. Were they using poor Aurora as a human lab rat to test their products on?

"I need a glass of water," Aurora told me.

I nodded. "Right. Then we will have to go into the kitchen because—sad to say—I do not trust you not to abuse whatever is in these bottles."

"So, my doctor told you that I have a drug addiction as well as being crazy?" Aurora let out a bitter laugh. "That is rich." She sighed. "Fine. Let's go to the kitchen where I will act as a good girl and take my pills."

"What do these do?" I asked her on our way into the kitchen.

Aurora took one of the bottles. "This one makes me vomit. So, I have to take it with this one," she pointed at another bottle. "The first one is an anti-anxiety medication. This one is an anti-depressant. This one is for my mania. This one is for my hallucinations, brought on by the anti-depressant. This one, this one is fun, it makes me feel like I'm flying but it has a nasty side-effect where I become dizzy and pass out, sometimes, which is rather inconvenient, like today. I only took the one that makes me fly because I wanted for us to have fun. Sometimes, when I take all of them, I just want to sit and stare into space. That's not any fun, now is it?"

I set the drugs down. "But you can't just pick and choose which drugs you want to take and which ones you don't," I told her.

Aurora shrugged. "I suppose not. But wouldn't it be lovely if I didn't take any of them?" she asked, her eyes wide and curious.

"Yes," I nodded, moving to get a glass of water and turning on the tap. Aurora sat, watching me and I turned off the sink. "Perhaps we could wean you off these pills and see how you react." I had no idea what that would do but I wondered if her meds were doing more harm than good.

Grinning, Aurora got up and came over to me, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me on the lips. "I knew I liked you for a reason," she said, taking her glass of water before going back to her seat.

"I suppose I should make you lunch," I replied. "What would you like?"

"Something simple. Lobster?" Aurora retorted, popping pills into her mouth.

"How about a nice grilled cheese?" I went over to the fridge and examined the offerings.

"That sounds dull but I'm sure you make it less so by making it," Aurora replied. She finished taking her pills while I found some kind of cheese with an Italian name on it and a loaf of French bread. "Wine?"

"With your meds?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Every day." Aurora smiled up at me. "Oh, goody. I love French bread." She clapped her hands and I had a feeling she had skipped the pills that made her numb. So much for doctor's orders.

We had a nice lunch and Aurora began to talk of plans for later in the day when I remembered that I had left my cell in the other room. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time," Aurora said, filling another glass of wine. I took her pills back into the bathroom and then went in search of my phone. I had one new message from Davina.

"Hi, Kol. I hope your friend is feeling better and that it is not contagious," Davina giggled. "Anyway, I was hoping that you could come home this weekend to see my project. It's being displayed with a number of other pieces in the Quarter. There are rumors that some well-known critics will be here. I might even be discovered. Wouldn't that be cool! And Hayley had an ultrasound so we know what the gender of the baby is but I'm not telling you. Elijah is _so_ excited. And Rebekah has been out buying presents for the baby and driving Marcel crazy storing them at their place. You've missed so much. You really, _really_ need to come home for a visit. Bye!"

Sitting on the side of the bed, I sat my phone down and ran my hands over my face. I missed my family. And Nik would probably be going down soon with Caroline. Perhaps this was the right time for me to go home.

Aurora popped inside the room. "Do you think they still have my dress?" she asked me. Noticing my expression, she came to kneel in front of me. "Are you alright?" Aurora inquired, placing a hand on my cheek. "Is it your little bird at home?" she smiled, taking my hand. "We should go back and get her something nice."

"Aurora, I need to go home this weekend," I said quietly.

Aurora frowned. "Why?" Standing up, she looked at her feet. "Do you find me tiresome?"

"No. _No_. My brother's girl is having a baby and I need to see them," I explained.

Aurora's eyes lit up. "A _baby_! I _always_ wanted to have a baby but Tristan said it might turn out like me and I mustn't. Or that I might hurt my child. I would never do that. You believe me, don't you?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"Well, now we must go shopping again. For presents for your brother's girl and for the baby." Getting to her feet, Aurora took my hand, pulling me to my feet and I grabbed my phone before leaving. I just hoped that Aurora would not insist on joining me on my trip home.

 **There will finally be a Kolvina reunion in the next chapter. Yay!**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Thank you!**

 **Guest: Thank you for your enthusiasm!**

 **Princess: I do plan on including a few more TO characters and one more TVD character that you like in chapter 11.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Just Visiting

Klaus snored. Caroline flipped through a magazine. And I could not wait to get off the bloody plane. We were on our way home. To New Orleans. Thankfully Lucien had given me time off from work since I had been so kind as to take such good care of Aurora in his absence. I sat, my leg bouncing away until we came to a complete stop and I began to smile. Home sweet home.

The whole arrival went by in a blur. I almost forgot to collect my luggage in my rush to leave the airport. "Kol, are you forgetting something!" Hayley called after me, one hand on her growing middle while Caroline fussed over her baby bump and Klaus grabbed their things, complaining about how much Caroline brought with her.

Elijah stood aside, taking it all in. His eyes moved to me. "I hope that you're doing well in California," he told me as I grabbed my bag.

"I'm doing well enough," I replied with a wide smile.

"Good," Elijah nodded. He took Hayley's hand and their group made its way to the front doors of the airport.

Elijah drove them back to his house. I tried not to be too impatient but I had a girl to see. Peering at my phone, I noted the time: 10:07 a.m. It was a Saturday. She should be at home. I hoped she was at home. I ran up the stairs, past Klaus and into my old room, tossing my bag down before making my way back downstairs. "I'm off then," I called to Elijah and Hayley.

"Where are you going?" Elijah called, coming to stand near the door.

"Off to see Davina," I replied, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it.

Elijah's eyebrows rose. "She won't be at home."

"Why?" I felt my eyebrows knit together.

"Family problems," Hayley told me, her expression dark. "She's staying with Marcel and Rebekah right now."

"Oh, alright then." I made a mental note to ask Davina what had happened since we spoke.

"Do you need a ride?" Caroline called. "I'm going to the grocery anyway."

"For what?" Elijah inquired.

"Condoms," Caroline stated, coming to stand behind me.

"Nice," Hayley laughed when Elijah's face reddened.

"Well, then… we will see you both later," Elijah muttered before moving back to the kitchen.

Caroline and I left the house and she drove me to Marcel's flat. "Thank you for the lift; have a nice condom run," I called to her with a cheeky grin.

Caroline smiled before starting up the car and driving away. I smoothed my shirt and then moved to the front door of the building. I walked up the steps and then knocked on the large door. Rebekah answered it, her jaw dropping and then she beamed. "Kol!" she cried. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd arrive until tomorrow."

"I talked Nik and Care into leaving early on my behalf. I missed my family," I replied, hugging my sister.

Rebekah took my hand, leading me inside the flat. Marcel had a book balanced on his knees. "Marcel, Kol's home!"

Marcel glanced at me. "Great," he said, rubbing his eyes and then sitting up. "Glad to have you back, man." His words did not have the same effect as my sister's, his enthusiasm lacking.

"Where is Davina? I heard she was staying with the two of you," I directed my question at my sister.

"She's in her room. I'll get her," Marcel said, placing his book on the couch and walking toward the back of the flat. His movements were slow, he was in no hurry to reunite us and I wanted to brush past him to find Davina myself.

After a long pause, Davina came out in a pair of jeans and light sweater, her hair pulled back in a long French braid. "Kol!" she cried, she ran down the stairs and across the length of the floor, throwing herself into my arms. "I can't believe you're really home! I missed you so much!" She clung to me and I clung to her.

"Ahem," Marcel called. "If you plan on going out, remember we're having dinner at 6. On. The. Dot." He gave Davina a long look and Davina smiled widely up at him.

"I'll be back," Davina promised and then she was tugging me out the front door. "We need to go. I have something I've been dying to show you."

"Me, too," I told her. Her eyebrows rose.

"Not that, silly," I rolled my eyes in mock exasperation as she giggled on our way down the stairs. I grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving the building.

"Kol?" Davina gave me a questioning look when I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out a box. "Open it."

Davina's lips pursed as she opened the box from Tiffany's. "Wow! Oh, my God. This is way too much! You can't afford this!" she protested, looking at the silver bracelet.

"Yes. I can. Believe it or not, my boss is quiet generous." I could not stop smiling as I took the bracelet and wrapped it around her wrist, twining its long length around her delicate wrist several times. "You like it?"

"I love it." Davina's eyes shinned, her lips pulled back in the most gorgeous smile I had ever seen in my life.

Davina threw her arms around my neck once again. I smiled, hugging her back, holding her, running my hand up and down the length of her back. Inhaling her scent, I never wanted to let her go. When she pulled back, I felt my mind going places in shouldn't. If I allowed myself to kiss her, I might not be able to stop myself from doing more. I let her go and saw the disappointment register in her eyes as they fell to the floor.

"Let's go," I cried, opening the door and pulling her along with me, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Davina's smile returned. "I plan on spending as much of my day as I can with you, Davina Claire."

Davina's smile widened and she stared up at me until I bent down and kissed her cheek. Her face reddened while her eyes closed. "I missed you, Kol."

"I missed you more." I would feel silly speaking to any other girl like this but Davina was different. She made me feel like I could talk like one those absurd love-struck males in the films made to make girls happy on Valentine's Day. Girls like his sister.

Davina let out another, laugh, taking my hand and tugging me by the hand down the sidewalk. "I don't think it's possible to miss me more than I missed you," she replied, turning to walk in front of me, making me look into her eyes to prevent her from running into others. She suddenly stopped, tugging my arm around her waist and dodging forward. I felt my whole body go still when her lips brushed mine. I could not think. Nothing in the world could be moving, not when Davina Claire had just done the unthinkable and kissed me.

My eyes closed and I stopped my arms from closing around her. When she pulled back, my eyes stayed closed for a second longer before I opened them and stared down at her. "See, I told you, I missed you more," she said breathlessly before pulling my arm back around her shoulders. My mind would not stop conjuring visions of turning to me and kissing her, of smuggling her back to my old bedroom and making love to her, of Marcel beating me bloody.

It must be whatever happened to Davina that made her suddenly make a move on me. Yes, that was it. Not her missing me. I hoped. I hoped that the old cliché about distance making the heart grow fonder was not getting to her.

Davina snuggled into me when we stopped at a bus stop. Not many other people were waiting with us and she turned in my arms, snuggling up to me in the cold. Maybe I should make an excuse, take her back to get a jacket or coat and then run away. Go find a flight back to California and stay there for the next seven months until I didn't have to worry about our ages.

"Kol," Davina whispered, looking up at me. "You don't mind that I kissed you, do you?" she asked and her eyes were wide with fear.

I felt my heart squeeze. The last thing in the world I wanted was to make this girl feel insecure about my feelings toward her. Thankfully, the bus pulled up, preventing me from answering. We got on, Davina pulling me toward the back, settling into the warm seats and laying her head on my shoulder.

Our ride was far too short. Davina got off and took my hand the moment I got off, leading me toward the French Quarter with the expert footsteps of a native to the city. She weaved her way between tourists and the odd local. People were gathered around one piece and I felt my lips turning up in a smile.

My portrait brought the attention of many of the tourists. I had no idea that Davina had been working on this all of those times I thought I had her full attention while tutoring her. Instead she had been working on capturing my likeness with her clever little mind. My head bent over a book, my back over the desk we had sat at a million times, hair falling over my eyebrow, eyes lit up while I read something to Davina, my lips captured mid-phrase. You could see how much detail she had put into it. You could also tell that she cared for me. Maybe even loved me when she started it.

"Do you like it?" Davina asked me, beginning to swing my hand back and forth.

"It's brilliant," I told her sincerely.

Davina giggled before throwing her arms around my neck. I held her tightly to me, breathing in her scent, wishing to keep her to myself forever. But, alas, I could not. Pulling back, Davina grinned up at me. "Do you really think so?" she asked, taking my collar between her little hands.

"Are you going to try to kiss me, again, if I say yes, again?" I retorted.

Davina cocked her head to the side. "Did you like the kiss?" she asked me.

"Yes to the first thing and I'd have to do it again to the second," I said, feeling reckless.

Davina's eyes lit up and she moved to stand on her toes, slipping her hands to wrap around my neck when someone called out her name. "Davina! There you are?" Monique shouted, waving as Cassie, Abigail, the Tim chap and Oliver came through the crowd.

Davina's head dropped down and she turned to her friends. "Hey!" she called cheerfully.

"Oh, my God! He's back!" Monique squealed like I was a rock star or some such nonsense. "There have been, like, no hot guys around!" she exclaimed. "Till now." Winking, Monique, moved into my personal space.

Davina frowned at her so-called friend. I felt offended on her behalf and would have had something to say to the girl if Tim hadn't distracted me. "Davina, you look like you are freezing. Here, take my jacket." The boy was far too nice. It made me want to send him overseas with a one-way ticket.

Smiling, Davina turned her back so she faced me while Tim slipped his jacket off and helped her into it. Why hadn't I offered my own? Oh, yes, because I still had this horrible tendency to make girls freeze so they'd have to cuddle up to me for body warmth which usually led to us being naked. Not this time 'round. My new found decency preventing me from taking advantage as much as Davina might want me to.

"Thanks, Tim," Davina said, smiling at Tim and I felt a spike of jealousy as she hugged him.

"I'm cold, too," Monique cried, eyeing my jacket and wrapping her arms around herself with a pout. I might not mind if it were Aurora pulling this act but Aurora was a grown woman, not a girl.

"Then you might want to return home to fetch a coat," I suggested with a grin.

Monique's mouth flew open and her friends let out giggles until she turned to give them a hostile look. "You know, I've been colder. I once went outside in only my underwear in January because of a bet. Do you have any bets you want me to preform, Kol?" Monique asked, looking him up and down.

I gave her a cool look when Oliver caught sight of Davina's painting. "Hey, did you bring him to look at himself?" He hooked a finger at my portrait. "I think I would have made a way better model. And I told you, I don't mind posing in the nude," he quipped, grinning like a complete fool.

I wanted nothing more than to beat the living daylights out of him. "Idiot," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" Oliver snapped, balling his fists.

"I'm getting cold, too. Maybe we can get some hot chocolate," Abigail suggested, shivering in her dress, tights and button down sweater. She rubbed her arms, teeth chattering, looking at the others.

"That sounds great!" Davina added, smiling at her group of friends and grabbing my hand. Oliver eyed our linked hands, smirked up at me and I suppressed the desire to knock him out.

Our little group walked a half a block down the street to a corner café with indoor seating. The girls lined up behind more tourists, discussing their drink choices while Tim stared longingly at Davina, Cassie chewed her lower lip, glancing at Tim while Monique told Davina that her whipped cream would make her fat, Abigail stared at the crowd and Oliver continued to eye me with suspicion.

Davina ordered her drink with extra whipped cream, giving her "friend" a look as the barista filled her order. I paid for her drink and my own before taking Davina to find a table. I chose a place close by a window. I knew that Davina liked to watch the tourists go by. Monique complained it was drafty. Cassie sighed, pulling out her cell, ignoring Monique's rant. Abigail shifted in her seat. Tim got up for napkins, then sugar, then snacks that the girls decided they had to have but would not eat in front of their male counterparts. Oliver sat on the other side of Davina, trying to pry her attention from me.

"Where'd you get this from?" Oliver asked Davina, reaching down, fingering the bracelet that I just gave her, his fingers on her thigh where her wrist had fallen.

I turned to glare over Davina's shoulder but Oliver kept his eyes on Davina. "It's a present from Kol," Davina proclaimed.

"I wish you would give me a present," Monique said, placing her hand on my arm.

Scooting away from Monique I found myself almost in Davina's lap. "Sorry. Invading your personal space." I laughed while Davina smiled at me.

"I don't mind," Davina whispered in my ear and I felt my body react. Crossing my legs, I picked up my cup of coffee, trying to look casual.

"So how is school going for you lot?" I asked, trying to remind them all that I was the older, college guy.

Monique pressed forward, smiling at me. "I could use a tutor, are you still available?" She moved to place her hand on my leg when I jumped to my feet.

"I have to go… Shopping for a friend." Pulling out my cell, I checked the time. "Yes. Sorry. And that might take a while. So, if you will excuse us." I held out a hand to Davina who stood up.

"And you have to go with him?" Monique demanded, glaring at Davina.

Davina smiled. "Yeah. Marcel put him in charge of my safety. I always feel safe with Kol around." She took off Tim's jacket, handing it back to the disappointed boy.

"You know, I need to go shopping, too, and I am excellent at finding anything," Monique started to get up when I made a grab for my coffee but edged my hand over just enough to spill her iced frappuccino all over her outfit.

"Oh, my God!" Monique cried, staring in horror at her white skirt.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think you have a bit of a mess to clean up," I said with a wide smile before Davina and I made out quick escape.

"You spilled her drink on her on purpose," Davina accused me.

Placing the flat of my hand over my heart, I gave her a mock hurt look. "Now, how could you think I would ever do something so horrible, Davina Claire?" I shook my head, smiling down at her.

Davina and I walked down the street in silence for a time, holding hands and taking in the sights. I felt a bit like a tourist myself. Not much had changed but it still felt as if everything had changed. Or maybe it was just me.

"Do you really have to find something for a friend?" Davina asked me.

"No, not just yet," I replied.

"Good." Davina tugged on my hand until I followed her to a less populated place. "You said I'd have to kiss you again to help you figure out if you liked it and then my friends showed up." Her eyelashes lowered and she moved to kiss me.

"You only want me for my body," I proclaimed and Davina let out a shocked laugh, settling back on the sidewalk.

"You are still arrogant, Kol Mikaelson," she shot back, turning away from me.

I grinned and we continued to walk, only taking some time to go to the library that we spent so much time in, studying. We sat down at our old table, reading silently, basking in each other's company. Once in a while she would find a passage and read it to me in a mere whisper and I would read something I found quotable. We held hands while reading our books and it felt so natural I think I would have forgotten to take her back if Marcel hadn't texted her to remind her it was getting late.

Before leaving the confines of the library, I gave her my jacket and she smiled up at me so widely I thought I might drop to my knees and pour out my heart to her. I slipped my arm around her waist as I walked her home. This felt so right, I wished I could stay, but I knew better. If I overstayed my welcome she would soon be warming my bed.

When we stood outside Marcel's apartment, Davina slipped out of my jacket, handing it to me. "Good night, Kol," she said quietly, handing it to me.

I took the jacket, slipping it back on before wrapping my arms around her waist. Although I had all week to see her, I still wanted to remember every single moment we were together, searing it into my memory for future reference when we were apart again. Pulling back, I looked down at her, tucking a lock of hair that had come loose from her braid, behind her ear. My fingers brushed the soft skin of her ear. I couldn't take my eyes off her as she searched my eyes.

My impulse was to kiss her. My mind told me to go. My heart wouldn't let me. Leaning down, slowly, I pulled her 'til her body was flat against my own and I lowered my head, pressing my lips lightly to hers, holding her still and drinking in the sweetness of her lips. I couldn't stand my own restraint but I couldn't go farther while her hands ran up the back of my neck, her lips parting against mine.

I moved back to look down at her. "I do like kissing you, ever so much," I said quietly, pressing my lips to hers again before she could reply, increasing the pressure for just an instant and then breaking apart. "Good night, Davina." I hurried away, refusing to look back even when I heard her cheer of joy. I could not stop smiling like a fool for the next ten hours.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: And they are. We'll see them again in chapter 10 and might see them in chapter 11…**

 **Guest: It's here! Finally!**

 **Princess: Sometimes some of the best characters are the minor ones that we get so little time with but mean something special to us. I will see what I can do to develop Anna's character in this story.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, my lovely readers. Time for more Kolvina! On with show…**

Chapter 10: Can I Keep You for the Day?

Coming home to New Orleans had been eventful thus far. I expected to be greeted with joy from Davina but my family shocked me. Elijah and Hayley actually acted as if they missed me. Rebekah wanted my attention. And my parents, well, my mother, invited me to dinner since I returned home.

I was singing to myself inside the shower of my old room. It felt nice to be back in the familiar. I did not have to worry about Aurora popping her head in and attempting to join me. I did not have to mix drinks until my wrists were sore from the effort. I did not have Lucien making plans for what I could do next for him.

Sighing, my thoughts moved to Davina. Her sweet kisses were the highlight of my days back home. I looked forward to seeing her today. They'd planned on going for a walk through the town before having dinner with my parents. I needed a buffer in case my father decided to start an argument about my schooling or current lifestyle choices.

I combed my hair, adding a little product before exiting the bathroom in only a towel with the intention of dressing for the day. "Davina!" I cried. The last thing I expected to find was Davina Claire, lying on my bed, sketchbook open on her knees. "Darling, what are you doing here?" I tried to calm myself. The sight of her on my bed was doing things to me that I would not be able to cover up with any amount of ease.

"Kol! Hi!" Davina sat up, tossing the sketch pad down and then her eyes widened as she looked me over. "You're in a towel. That's different…" She trailed off, her cheeks burning scarlet but then her eyes were moving over me again.

"Davina, you're making me feel a bit cheap," I teased, placing my hands on my hips and grinning at her. "If you insist on staring, love, throw cash."

"Okay." Davina grabbed her purse. "All I have in here is a five and a pack of Altoids."

"I'll take the mints. Thank you." I caught the tin of mints easily. Popping it open, I placed one in my mouth before crossing the room and handing it back to Davina.

Davina stared up at me with a very serious expression and then she leaned forward. "Are you happy to see me?" she asked me and then a huge grin appeared on her face.

My eyes dropped to my towel and I realized just how happy I was to see her. The evidence was hard to miss. "Yes, Davina, I am very happy to see you," I told her.

Grinning widely, Davina stood up, pressing her body to mine and wrapping her arms around my neck. "I'm very happy to see you, too," she said, pulling my head down and kissing me.

Our mouths pressed more firmly and I tightened my grip on Davina. I lifted her off her feet and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Lying down, I yanked Davina's top off and began to kiss her exposed skin and she moaned underneath me. My towel ended up on the floor and I reached for her pants when a knock sounded on the door. "Shit," I mumbled against Davina's lips.

"Be there in just a minute," I yelled, sliding off of Davina, grabbing my towel and tossing her shirt at her.

Davina looked so pretty. Her cheeks flushed, hair a mess as she jerked her shirt over her hair to cover her tempting lacy bra. I might kill whoever stood on the other side of the door while I frantically dressed.

Yanking the door open, I stood, blocking any view of Davina. "Hayley, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked with a fake smile.

Hayley narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey, Davina, I'm making cookies, you want some?" she called, peering over my shoulder.

I swore under my breath when Davina came to stand beside me. "Sure. Thanks, Hayley," Davina's voice sounded a little too perky and the smile was a dead giveaway that we'd been up to more than talking.

Hayley eyed me. "Good. Okay. Well, I'm going to go back downstairs and hope that you two can find time to help me in the kitchen. Caroline's got Klaus out Christmas shopping and Elijah's at work 'til six." She turned to leave but then paused, turning back. "Kol, your mom called and asked if you would bring a bottle of wine tonight."

"Right. Thank you, Hayley," I replied, my fingers digging into the doorframe until she left. "Damn," I groaned, walking back into my room and falling onto my back, my back hitting the bed with a slight bounce.

"Kol, are you okay?" Davina asked, closing the door. She walked over and climbed on top of me, pulling my hands away from my face. Her smile made me smile.

"I'm wonderful with you here. But aren't you a little early?" I asked, allowing myself the indulgence of placing my hands on her hips, pulling her closer.

Davina tossed her hair over her shoulder, leaning over me so our lips were mere inches apart. "Rebekah got all crazy about decorating the loft and Marcel went out with his friends to avoid it. I said I was going out to meet up with Monique. And Hayley let me in and told me you were up here. I had no idea that you were showering but I'm glad I came when I did." She pressed her lips to mine and I tried to think of a million sexless things and failed.

My fingers ran under Davina's top, unhooking her bra and moving over her flesh while she let out little sounds that made me reconsider my plans to wait. I flipped her onto her back, kissing her stomach and pushing her top upward as my lips ran over her skin. "Davina," I whispered. "Oh, Davina Claire, you have idea what kind of effect you have on me."

"I think I'm getting a pretty clear picture," Davina replied with a giggle.

My lips returned to hers and my hand moved to unbutton her pants when a knock on the door sounded again. "Guys, I really do need help with these cookies!" Hayley yelled through the door, hammering on it.

Groaning, I fell back on my knees, looking at Davina who looked just as disappointed at the interruption. "Coming, Hayley!" I shouted. I could hear the irritation in my voice and did not care. The woman would drive me mad, one way or the other.

Davina re-hooked her bra and smoothed her shirt before following me to the door. When we emerged, Hayley glanced at Davina. "You might want to grab a brush," she told the girl whose eyebrows rose. "You've got sex hair," Hayley said bluntly.

"We weren't," Davina stopped, blushing, staring at the carpet.

"We were not having sex, Hayley," I snapped, glaring at my future sister-in-law. Glancing at Davina, I added, "But you should brush your hair; it is a bit of a mess," I admitted.

"I've got a great brush in my room. I'll be back in a sec," Hayley disappeared down the hall. Davina and I did not speak since Hayley left the door to her and Elijah's room wide open. Hayley returned with the brush. "Here." She offered it to Davina.

"Thanks," Davina said, moving back into my room.

Hayley led the way down stairs and into the kitchen. I saw several trays of cookies on the table. "You need more?" I inquired while Hayley scooped cookie dough onto a sheet. "What I need is for my soon-to-be brother-in-law to remember that it's not okay what you're doing with that girl?"

I felt rage building inside me. "What Davina and I do is not your bloody business!" I snapped, glaring at Hayley.

Dropping the spoon into the bowl, Hayley placed her hands into the bowl before glaring back at me. "You're right. It shouldn't be my business. I have a job, a great man in my life and a baby on the way. I should not have to worry about you, Kol. You're too old to act like a kid who can't resist taking whatever he wants, no matter the consequences."

"Well, Hayley, why don't you fill out a bloody report," I snarled, turning to leave the house.

"Kol, wait!" Hayley yelled, moving rather quickly for a pregnant woman. "Stop!" She stepped in front of me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "Look, it's not the age that's bothering me. Hell, I was like fifteen when I started having sex and I have no idea how old the guy was. Let's just say, he might have been high school or he might have been college age. I get it. Okay? Davina has feelings. And she's so completely in love with you. The problem is that you're building this life, in California, not here. You're visiting and do you really want to take things further and then leave two days from now?"

Pausing, I hated that Hayley might be right. I wanted to be with Davina but I didn't want to ruin our possible future together. I'd left for reasons beyond our age difference. I had begun a different life and had no idea when I might return or if it was in Davina's best interests to join me next year. My world—by then—might not be something she should be a part of. "You're right," I admitted, my eyes dropping.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be," Hayley told me, squeezing my shoulders. "Why don't you help me decorate these cookies?"

Nodding, I moved to help place frosting and other bits on the cookies. I noticed Davina enter the room and the way that she avoided my gaze. Glancing at her, I wondered if she had heard part of the conversation that Hayley and I had been having. "What do you think: Santa or Rudolph?" I asked her, holding up a cookie that could be almost anything.

Davina tilted her head. "Were-deer?"

I grinned. "Were-deer it is." I began to decorate a plausible looking reindeer with red eyes, fangs and pointy ears. "How about that?" I held it up for her inspection.

"Nice," Davina giggled when I took the frosting and placed a bit on the tip of her nose. I kissed it off, not caring who else was in the room. I wanted to enjoy the remaining time I had left with my girl.

An hour later, we left the house and began our walk around town. I wrapped my arms around Davina's waist, making it harder for us to make any progress but I didn't want to make any. I wanted us to stay right where we were. "You make me happy, Davina," I whispered into her ear when we stopped by a hot chocolate vender.

"Do you have to go back?" Davina asked me, tucking her head into my shoulder.

Pressing my lips to her forehead, I wanted to say no. "I do," I told her. "I'm sorry, Davina. Maybe one day I will be able to think of a way to explain to you why I'm doing this."

"I'm looking into going to UCLA, if you're still there next year. Because, Kol Mikaelson, I don't plan on spending my life without you in it," Davina swore, staring up at me.

Chuckling, I pressed my lips to her. "I would not have it any other way, darling," I told her, stroking her cheek before kissing her again.

During our day together, I purchased a dress for Davina for the dinner that night. We returned to my home and dressed. With Elijah, Hayley, Caroline and Klaus home, we had to be a little more careful about their activities. I stood outside my bedroom, waiting for Davina to dress, checking my cell for the time. When she came out, she took my breath away. "You look stunning," I told her.

"Don't I?" Davina laughed. "Zip me up?" she asked, stepping back into my room and waiting. I walked into my room, closed the room behind me and pressed my lips to her shoulder blade. Davina stifled a groan while I slid my hands under the hem, trailing my fingertips over her thighs. My lips moved up her neck, finding her lips and kissing her passionately. Davina moaned into my mouth and I reminded myself that it was time to stop.

"Zipper," I muttered to myself, pulling it up and opening the door. Klaus walked by, talking on his phone and running his hand through his hair. Caroline hurried by, also looking nervous but not seeing me. Once they went into Klaus' bedroom and shut the door, I pulled Davina into the hall.

"Ready for your dinner with our parents?" Elijah called on our way past the living room. My brother looked up at Davina and me. He sat, with his tie loosened and a plate of cookies in front him, untouched.

"Elijah, are you going to look at them or eat them?" Hayley asked, coming in and picking up a cookie. She bit into the were-deer. "They're perfectly edible," she said around a mouthful of cookie.

"Good night," I called, taking Davina's hand and pulling her out the door.

Davina giggled as we walked over to the car. "I wish I had siblings."

"You do until you have them," I retorted, opening the passenger door for her and closing it after checking to make sure her hands and feet her inside the vehicle.

"Seriously, Kol. I wish I had a big family like you do," Davina sighed once I had gotten inside.

"What is going on with your lot?" I asked her, glancing in her direction when she became quiet, staring out the windshield. "You never told me why you decided to move in with Marcel and Bekah."

"Oh, yeah, that. Just my mom's…kind of lost it," Davina shrugged. "It's not that big a deal. Really."

"What do you mean 'She lost it?'" I stopped at a traffic light and turned to stare at Davina.

"She… She hit me," Davina said. "She told me I wasn't really her daughter and I was a witch and all of this stuff… and then she hit me. So, I left. When I was little, she and my dad would argue and sometimes she would get really, really angry and try to hit him but he was stronger than she was so he could stop her from doing any real damage. One day, I woke up and he'd just…left. And he didn't come back." A tear ran down Davina's cheek.

"Davina, why didn't you ever tell me that?" I asked her.

"I didn't ever tell anyone that," Davina snapped, folding her arms over her chest and staring upward. "You've got the light."

"Right," I pushed the accelerator and we moved on in silence.

We did not speak again until I stopped the car in front of my parents' house. They'd met Davina but this would be the first time I brought her as anything more than a friend/student. To say that I was nervous would be a grand understatement. Davina seemed to be feeling the same as she reached out, clutching my hand in hers.

"We're doing this?" Davina whispered.

"Yes, we are," I said. I rang the doorbell and waited.

A couple of minutes later, my mother opened the door. "Kol!" she smiled at me before looking at Davina. "And Davina? What a lovely surprise. Kol, you should have told me that you were inviting a friend, I would have set another place at the table."

"Mother," I began to tell her that Davina was my date, not my friend, but mother stepped back into the house.

"Veronica, please, take their coats and show them to the dining room," Mother called over her shoulder to the maid.

I gave my coat to the poor woman. If I thought that working for Aurora and Lucien was a pain, I knew how much worse working for my parents could be. Many staff had come and gone at the Mikaelson home. Many had horror stories to tell. Taking Davina's coat, I handed it to Veronica who I would probably never see again. "Thank you," I told her before taking Davina's hand. "We can find the dining room." I led Davina through the house.

"Oh, my God. Is that a real Degas?" Davina asked, stopping our forward progress.

"Yes, it is. Mother loves art. I think that might be where Nik got it from," I told her.

"It's so pretty," Davina said, examining the painting.

"You are so pretty, love," I tipped her face upward and kissed her.

"Oh, my," Mother's voice sounded a little too close to us. Looking up, I saw her smile frozen on her face. "I take it you're a couple now." Her words were more a statement than a question as she stood in the hallway, hands folded over her waist.

"Yes, Mother," I replied.

"Well. Dinner should be served soon." Mother turned her back on us, leading the way to the dining room.

Once we were seated, father looked at Davina. "Ah, Kol, your mother was complaining that you didn't tell her of your guest."

"My date, father." I watched him, wine glass moving to his lips before it returned to the table top.

"Date? Isn't she in middle school? How old are you, Deena?" Mikael narrowed his eyes, looking Davina over.

"My name is Davina, Mr. Mikaelson, and I'm seventeen," Davina said.

Mother choked on her sip of wine. Taking a moment, she calmed herself. "Did you say: seventeen, dear? That's wonderful. When is your birthday? We must celebrate it with a party here."

Davina's eyebrows rose. "Six months from now," she told them.

Mother's fingers tightened on the stem of her wine glass. "Six months? That sounds like…quite a bit of time. And how long have you and Kol been…dating." Mother looked like she might puke, her face turning paler by the second.

"Only since I came back for my visit," I said. "I'm going back the day after tomorrow."

Mother looked at me. "Oh, you're leaving so soon… That's good. You should not stay here. Who knows what kind of trouble you might find yourself in at your brother's."

"Trouble?" Davina's lips pursed, her eyebrows rising.

"Did I say trouble?" Mother let out a laugh. "What I meant was that I'm sure Kol would be more comfortable in his childhood room. You haven't seen his new room, have you, Davina?" Her brows arched, leaning closer to Davina, wine glass being choked by her fingers' hold on it.

"Umm… No! No, of course not!" Davina laughed nervously. "Could I get a glass of water?"

"Of course," father signaled one of the servants to get a glass of water for Davina. "Esther, why not just ask your question?"

"Are you having sex with my son?" Mother asked and I thought I might decide to live in Europe under an alias. I had been to some disastrous dinners with my parents but this might be the worst.

"No!" Davina practically shouted.

Mother and Father seemed pleased by her answer. "Good then. Ah, there is the soup. Thank you, Miranda," mother called as an older woman came out with a tureen of soup.

After that, dinner moved along without any more questions that made me or Davina want to go running for the door until Father decided to ask me what I was doing with my life. "I'm working at a club."

"Doing what?" Father asked, cutting into his fish.

"I serve drinks," I stated.

"You mean you're a bartender?" father questioned me, his eyes pinning me in my seat.

"Mikael," Mother said quietly, her tone a warning.

Father ignored her. "My son is a bartender. You know that Mikaelsons are lawyers, doctors, professors and, God help me, Niklaus is an 'artist' but he, too, will see in time the error of his ways and find a real job. I suggest you give up on this charade and come home. Return to school. You were doing well and on a path to doing something brilliant. You might even be the first Mikaelson to work for NASA, boy. But at this rate, you'll go nowhere."

"Thank you for dinner, Mother, it was lovely," I said through clenched teeth, wiping my mouth with a napkin and tossing it on my plate. "Good night." Getting up, I waited for Davina to get up.

"Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Mikaelson," Davina said as I took her hand.

"You're welcome, dear," Mother replied, staring at the table, trying not to glare at Father.

I walked out of the dining room with Davina, gathered our coats from the closet and then left the house before letting out a string of curses. "Damn them," I growled.

"Kol, are you okay?" Davina asked me, placing a hand on my cheek.

"I am…" I looked at her. "Thank you for not being them," I stated, pulling her to me and kissing her deeply.

"Do you want me to spend the night?" Davina asked me.

For a moment, I thought about telling her no. That would only lead to disaster. "Where will Marcel think you are?"

"At Monique's. I covered for her too many times. She owes me." Davina told me.

We got back into the car and I drove back to Elijah's. I slipped into the house, making sure that we could get back to my room without running into anyone. We entered my room and I closed the door, locking it behind us. "We're not having sex tonight," I said firmly, surprising myself.

"Okay." Davina nodded.

I pulled open a drawer and pulled out a baseball jersey from my time on the team when I about Davina's age. Holding it out to her, I watched her take it, smiling at the name Mikaelson on the back. She went into the bathroom to change while I undressed and pulled on a clean T-shirt. When Davina came out, I almost changed my mind about the "no sex" policy for the night.

Climbing into bed, I pulled her up against me, enjoying the feel of her curved into my body, wondering if next year she would be at UCLA and in my arms every night. I closed my eyes, dreaming of our happy future together.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: Good. And there's more here! Yay!**

 **Princess: Hmm… I've been known to do that with my fav fics, too. You might see Jeremy pop up since Kol needs a BFF bromance.**

 **Guest: There will be another update coming up on December 23 and another for New Year's Day.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: One More Day With You

Waking up with the girl I'd fallen madly in love with had to be on my top ten list of things I wanted to do before I died. Waking up with said girl's over-protective, surrogate father glaring down at us was, by far, one of the things I would least like to happen before I die. Having both of these things happening to me within seconds of each other—not the best way to start a morning. I assure you.

"Get up!" Marcel growled under his breath, his eyes on me, his arms folded over his chest.

Slowly, I slid out from beneath the covers, ready to face Marcel who I felt certain intended on taking me into Elijah's backyard to give me a good thrashing. Davina let out a quiet moan of protest. She rolled onto her back, her arm moving across the bed for me. "I've got to go downstairs to talk to 'Lijah. Just keep your eyes closed and sleep," I whispered, brushing her hair away from her forehead and kissing her there.

Marcel continued to glower at me while I grabbed my shoes from beneath the bed. He walked out of the room but left the door open to watch me yanking my blasted sneakers on. "Coming," I called, glowering back at him.

I forced myself to exit the room, closing the door behind me with a sense of dread. My feelings of dread were not unfounded because the moment I closed the door, Marcel grabbed me by the back of my shirt and hauled me down the stairs. "I'm going to kick your ass," he snarled into my ear. "What in the hell are you thinking, man?"

Rebekah stood at the end of the stairs, her eyebrows rising. "Marcel, darling, what's going on?" Her lips pursed and Hayley came to join her, her hands on her hips.

"Marcel, what are you doing with him?" Hayley demanded, stepping between Marcel and his path to the front door. Her belly tended to draw attention and this morning she looked more pregnant than she had the day before. Or maybe I was losing my sense of time since I expected to die in the next fifteen to twenty minutes after Marcel beat me to death.

Hayley continued to glare at Marcel. "I'm waiting!" she snapped, glaring up at Marcel, her eyes screaming exasperation. She would be a rather kick-ass mother if she kept this act up.

"Kol was in bed with Davina!" Marcel snapped, glaring back at Hayley.

Hayley blew out a breath, her hands dropping before she ran a hand through her long locks. "Yeah. Okay. But they weren't doing anything. I should know. I was up half the night checking." She did look tired, dark purple rimming her lower lids, puffiness forming. I'd thought that was just the baby keeping her up. "Elijah's got enough going on; he doesn't need his brother going to jail for being an idiot."

Marcel relaxed. His fingers loosening in my shirt collar. Just like that—the tension in the room seemed to resolve itself and I let out s sigh of relief. A second later, Marcel grabbed me by the arm, turning me around to face him. "If I ever find out that you did do anything with her or hurt her in any way, it will be the last thing you ever do," he warned me.

"Marcel!" Davina cried. My eyes flicked up to see Davina, looking lovely with her long locks hanging about her face and my shirt billowing off her. My lips quirked upward. I couldn't help it. Davina had a power over me.

Davina caught my eye and her lips twisted into an answering smile, her hand going up to tuck her hair behind her ear before she settled her gaze back on Marcel. "What are you doing to Kol?" she demanded, hurrying down the stairs and scowling up at Marcel which was so cute that I wanted to kiss her but I also liked my teeth where they were.

"I found Romeo in bed with you, D. You're not old enough to be having sleepovers with grown men," Marcel said, letting go of me and placing a hand on her shoulder.

Davina let out a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, come on, Marcel. Do you think that I never heard how old Rebekah was when you two got together? She was my age," Davina snapped, staring up at Marcel who rolled his eyes.

"It's not the thing same, D," Marcel snapped, watching Davina who gritted her teeth.

"Marcel, leave them be. Hayley's been good enough to make us all breakfast," Rebekah said, reaching and taking Marcel's hand. "Let's eat. We'll all be better for it."

Marcel rolled his eyes. "We're not done here," he told me.

"I'm sure we're not," I replied with a wicked smile. I couldn't help but goad him.

Marcel moved to grab me when Rebekah and Hayley took hold of each of his arms, dragging him off the staircase and towards the kitchen. "I'm going to kill him, Bekah. I really am going do it this time." I could hear Marcel telling my baby sister what he planned for me as I turned back to Davina.

"Hey," Davina said shyly. "That could have been worse. I think." She sighed, moving to slip her arms around my neck and rest her face against my chest.

"I assure you, this is just the beginning, which is why I must return to Sunny California lest you have one less man in your life," I joked.

Davina pulled back, looking me in the eye and I could see the moisture building there. Hurting her made my own heart ache. "Oh, darling," I whispered. "Please don't cry," I murmured.

"Don't leave, Kol! Please, not yet," Davina pleaded.

"I'll stay for today but I must leave." Picking her up, I carried her back up the stairs and walked into my room before shutting the door behind us. I set Davina on her feet before cupping her chin and kissing her.

"Don't leave. Don't leave," Davina whispered against my lips.

"I want to stay, right here, with you, in this room, forever. But if I do Marcel will surely kill me. Now, why don't you gather your things and dress in Bekah's old room before Marcel comes up here and breaks my door down," I suggested, kissing her one last time before forcing myself to let go of her.

"Okay," Davina sighed. She picked up her dress and shoes before exiting my room.

I decided to leave my door open in case Marcel came up and then he could see a show he'd rather not as I undressed. I found a button-down shirt that I knew Davina favored me in and a pair of jeans to wear. Picking up my phone, I noticed that I had no new messages from Aurora which was a bit odd since she'd been sending me messages ever since I came home. I'd call her later just to check in.

Davina appeared in my doorway as I buttoned up my shirt. "I guess I missed the good part," she said, grinning and coming over to give me a lingering kiss on the lips.

"We'd best get down there before they come to us," I said but could not seem to follow my own orders. Pulling Davina to me, I kissed her back, putting all of my feelings that I'd kept bottled up into the kiss.

"Hey, enough!" Hayley called and I pulled back to find her in my doorway. "Seriously, Kol, I just saved your ass. Act like you give a damn." Huffing in annoyance, Hayley turned back around and disappeared.

"Sorry, mom," I called to Hayley who heard me because she let out a loud groan of frustration mixed with a nicely sized portion of irritation.

Davina giggled and I shook my head. "You know, she's growing on me. Perhaps it's because I've been gone for so long."

"Hayley's cool." Davina told me on our way out of my room. "I think it would be nice to have her as a mom instead of…you know." Her gaze darkened and I rubbed her arm, pulling her closer to me. Thinking of what she'd been through made me sick to my stomach.

Davina looked up at me, smiling brightly. "What are we going to do for your last day here?"

"I haven't a clue, love, but it will be exciting as long I'm with you." I told her, kissing her again on our way into the kitchen.

"Oh, enough!" Marcel yelled, picking up his butter knife and aiming it at me.

"I have to see you with your blasted tongue in my sister's mouth; do not act as if you have a bloody right to feelings of disgust around me!" I snapped, having had enough of Marcel's attitude already.

Marcel sat back in his seat. "At least Bekah and I are closer to the same age," he grumbled.

"By what? A year?" I retorted, pulling out Davina's chair and then taking my place by her side.

"Kol," Rebekah hissed, her eyes narrowing.

I grabbed a roll and ripped it in two. "It seems like a family trait, really, chasing after younger women. Father's ten years older than mother. Nik has a good seven off his bird. Elijah's how much older than you, Hayley?" I asked Hayley who blushed.

"Twelve," Rebekah piped up.

Hayley rolled her eyes and began to peel a banana. "Age is just a number, unless it's going to mean you're in trouble with the authorities." Taking a healthy bite from her piece of fruit, Hayley looked me in the eye. "It's not that we don't support you, Kol, it's just we like you without a rap sheet."

"I'd like to not be included in the 'liking Kol' party. I never liked you," Marcel told me with a smile.

Smirking back at him, I replied, "Yes, Marcel, and the feeling has been quite mutual. You see, I've always felt that Nik brought you home the way that one does when they find a stray dog on the side of a road that proceeds to destroy the nice furnishing."

"I'm going to kick your –"Marcel began, standing up when Rebekah moved between us.

"Marcel, let's go. We've got a lot to do before the party tonight," Rebekah said, placing her hands on his shoulders and forcing his attention away from me. His expression softened as he looked down at my sister. The only thing I liked about Marcel was my sister. Nik. And Davina. Other than those three parts of his life, if I never had to face him again, I'd be a happier man.

Marcel deflated, predictably, under my sister's pressure. She tended to have the man wrapped around her little finger. I wondered if this is how others were beginning to see my relationship with Davina, as one in which she snapped her fingers and I jumped to fulfill her whim. How accurate that was becoming scared me a bit. I'd never wished for another's happiness the way that I wished for hers before.

"Let's go," Marcel said to Rebekah.

Rebekah turned to us with a wide smile of someone who was used to getting whatever she wanted. "You're coming tonight, Hayley," she said, her voice firm. "Just because you're about to be a mummy doesn't mean you don't have a right to a life."

"It's not me you have to worry about. It's Elijah. He's going to come home tired and grumpy and telling him we're going out is going to make him more than I can handle," Hayley replied, lacing her hands over her middle.

"Let me deal with my brother. I'll call him this afternoon," Rebekah said. "Bye, Kol."

"Bye, Bex," I called back.

Marcel turned to Davina. "You're going to be sleeping in your own bed tonight," he ordered her.

"Yes, Marcel," Davina said, getting up and crossing the room. She stood on tip-toe to hug him. "Thank you," she added with a huge smile.

Marcel glared at me one last time while he hugged Davina and then took my sister's hand. "Thanks for breakfast, Hayley. We'll see you later."

"Later," Hayley called, waving at them. Once it was just the three of us, Hayley groaned. "I am so damned tired."

"We can clean up if you want to go to bed," Davina suggested.

Hayley gave us a look. "Can you keep your hands off each other?" she demanded, looking miserable.

"I have a degree of self-restraint," I said with a laugh.

Hayley chuckled. "That's what I'm afraid of: the part where it's one degree." She got to her feet and then yawned before trying to fall on the floor, caught herself, leaning against the table.

I hurried around the table. "Davina, darling, if you could start with clearing the table, I'll get this one to bed." Wrapping my arms around Hayley, I scooped her up and carried her out of the room.

"I must weight a ton," Hayley mumbled into my shirt.

I laughed. "Not as much as I expected. I'd say you're about the same as a small elephant."

Hayley smacked my chest. "Thanks to that."

"You're quite welcome." I carried her into her and Elijah's room before laying her on the bed. "Get some rest, love, you look dreadful," I told the soon-to-be-mother of my baby niece.

Hayley yawned. "Just be careful with Davina. She's so young. She's got no idea how bad it can hurt when someone breaks your heart."

I pulled the covers on Hayley as she began to drift off to sleep. "Don't worry, I have no intention of breaking her heart, now, or ever."

Walking down the stairs, I found Davina dancing around the kitchen as she placed dishes in the dishwasher. "Mind if I join you?" I inquired with a broad grin.

Davina stopped dancing and smiled, setting down the dish she had in her hands. She beckoned me with her fingers and I came over, slipping my arms around her and dancing with her, grinning as she slid her hands into my hair. "I think if I died tomorrow, I'd die a happy man," I whispered.

Davina smiled, leaning up and kissing me. "I'd die happy, too," she told me, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.

I pulled her atop the counter and pulled her legs around my waist. Was I breaking my promise to Hayley? Not quite yet. Was I headed toward breaking my promise? Yes, very much so.

Davina's hands went under the back of my shirt and I slid my hands under her dress, reaching for her underwear when a sound made us both jump. "What was that?" I inquired.

"I think it's my phone. Could be Marcel. I should go find out." Davina hopped off the counter and strode over to her chair, opened her purse and looked at the screen. "It's just Monique." Dropping her phone back into her purse, she came back over to me. "Where were we?" she asked me.

"You should probably answer that. Could be an emergency," I told her.

Davina cocked her head to the side, giving me a long look. "You want me to answer the phone?"

"Yes." I told her, firmly while every part of my body begged her to refuse me.

Davina sighed and returned to the chair, pulling out her phone. "Hello?" she called. "Hey! Okay? I'm kind of… No. No… Monique…okay…" Rolling her eyes, Davina hung up her phone. "Looks like we're going out," she told me. "That's why I didn't want to answer."

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

"To St. Anne's," Davina told me.

My eyebrows rose. "You're taking me to church? Are we to confess out sins?" I teased her.

"No, that's where we're going to meet up with Monique, Cassie, Abigail, Josh, Aiden, Tim and Oliver. Then we're going to Rousseau's. Monique got some fake IDs and wants to test them out. She's going to get into trouble but there's no arguing with her when she's like this." Davina muttered the last part, looking unhappy as she shouldered her purse and came over to take my hand.

"We don't have to go," I told her.

Davina grinned. "You want to stay here?"

My eyebrows rose. "No. You know, I think that being there when your friend learns a valuable life lesson might be a better idea," I said, nearly dragging my little vixen out of the room.

When we arrived at St. Anne's we were not the only people that stood outside the doors of the church. Monique looked bored as she typed away at her phone. Tim kept looking around before spotting Davina and grinning. Poor kid, he was madly in love with a girl who had moved on. Oliver looked happy until he spotted me by Davina's side and the girls began to whisper looking from me to Davina.

"Hey, Davina!" Tim called, breaking off from the group to give Davina a hug.

"Kol!" Monique cried, brightening when she saw me. "Davina didn't say you were coming," she told me, looking me over. "Maybe you can buy me a drink."

"Water with a slice of lime?" I quipped.

Monique grinned. "Or a tequila," she retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder and smirking up at me.

"Or not," Davina cut in. "Monique, you're going to get into big trouble." She folded her arms, staring at her friend.

"Oh, Davina, stop! We're going to be fine," Monique said, slipping her phone into her purse. "Let's go." She led our merry little band to Rousseau's, opening the door and walking inside.

Davina looked up at me and I shrugged. A good bartender would take one look at the fake ID and tell Monique that she could have anything in the form of coffee, soft drink, juice or water but until she turned twenty-one she could forget the hard stuff."

Josh smirked at me. "This is not going to go well. At all," he said.

Monique shot Josh a hard look. "I know what I'm doing."

Aiden grinned at Josh and Josh rolled his eyes. They knew from personal experience how bad this could turn out but sometimes you had to allow people to learn from falling on their faces.

Monique strode to the bar and ordered a drink while Davina and I hung back a few feet, waiting to see how this turned out. The blonde bartender took a look at Monique, then her ID and then poured a drink, something pink and frothy. "Enjoy," the female said with a smile.

Monique turned back with a grin, her drink clutched between her fingers. "See," she said, walking over to the table that her friends had taken by a window.

Davina looked confused. "That did not turn out how I expected it to."

"I'm going to get a drink of my own," I said. "Would you like anything?"

"An orange juice would be nice." Davina slipped away from me and joined her friends.

I walked over to the bar, eying the name tag on the bartender's shirt. "You're going to buy me a drink if you keep staring at my chest like that," she quipped.

"Oh, sorry, love," I said, "Could I get a beer and an orange juice?"

"You know I gave that friend of yours what amounts to a fruit smoothie?" Cami asked me, eyeing me before pouring out Davina's drink and grabbing my beer.

"And she seems none the wiser," I replied with a smile.

"Perks of the job: knowing when to serves a kid something that will make them happy but that won't kill them." Cami walked away and I smiled.

Pulling out my phone, I called a familiar number. "Hello?" Aurora's voice sounded in my ear. She sounded distracted.

"Aurora, it's me," I said, watching Davina roll her eyes at Monique.

"Who's me?" Aurora asked.

"Kol," I replied.

"Oh, yes, Kol. I once knew a man named Kol and then he ran off and left me," Aurora said.

I sighed. "I'm coming back tomorrow."

"How nice of you. Don't worry about me, love, I have a new babysitter. Her name is Anna and she's lovely. Aren't you, dear?" Aurora called.

"Sure," a girl's voice called back. I could hear strain in the girl's voice.

"Right," I had no idea what to say in return. "I suppose that's good."

"It is," Aurora snapped and I could hear the pain in her voice. "I should let you get back to whatever it is that kept you from me. Good-bye, Kol."

Hearing the click that signaled the end of the call, I picked up the drinks and headed over to the table. Monique was laughing hysterically at something Oliver said while I sat down. Davina smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Who were you talking to?" Davina asked me.

"A friend, back in California," I told her.

"I'm sure they miss you back there." Davina grinned as she took her drink from me. "But they can't have missed you as much I did."

"That's true," I told her. I just hoped I didn't return to find that Lucien had replaced me, too. I had a few more months before I could stay here and truly be with Davina. There was no way I was going ruin our chance at happiness, not if I could help it.

 **I'm going to try to post a new chapter next week and for the next four weeks after that. I'm not going to make a promise because there are a lot things happening that are killing my ability to focus. Sorry. :/**

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Guest: I know. Poor Davina having to deal with Esther and Mikael. Thank you, I hope you love this one, too.**

 **Guest: Thank you! I hope you love this chapter, too!**

 **Princess: I am sorry that's taken this long for you be able to read a chapter that mentions Anna. She'll make a physical appearance in chapter 13.** **I did like your idea about Anna and Davina meeting at UCLA and I might try to incorporate it into another story, at another time.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello, my lovely readers. This took a little longer to get down. Writer's block hits at the worst times. On with the show…**

Chapter 12: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Monique wobbled on her chair with a dreamy smile on her face. Davina rolled her eyes at her friend while I kept that knowledge that Monique's state of drunkenness was all in her head. It made this act much more comical for me.

"I think I'll have another," Monique said, getting to her feet with a giggle and then tripping over her own feet, falling into Oliver's lap. "Hi there." She grinned at him, placing a finger under his chin moving to kiss the scruffy youth.

"Hey, girl, it's not that I'm not flattered; it's just you've had too many," Oliver said, pushing Monique onto her chair. She began to pout and took a sip before remembering that her glass was empty. "Davina, could you get me another?" she asked, leaning across the table, her eyelids hooded.

Davina looked at me. "Kol?" she looked uncomfortable.

"Right. Be back in a second," I said, getting to my feet.

Heading back up to the bar, I watched Cami deftly pour out drinks to her of-age consumers. "Looks like our little problem child would like another," I called to the blonde.

Cami's eyebrows rose. "Isn't that her fourth?" she questioned me, glancing over at Monique, Davina and their lot.

I shrugged. "Not like it will harm, perhaps her dignity will take a blow once she realizes that you pulled a fast one on her." Grinning, I waved at Monique who had taken my seat and had wrapped her arms around my poor girl's neck, beginning to sing.

"Looks like she's really enjoying herself," Cami said sarcastically. "Glad that I haven't had any cops in here; they'd probably try to revoke out liquor license."

"You've got me to vouch for that being a fake drink," I told her with a wink.

Cami laughed. "Thanks for that." She began to wipe the bar top. "You wouldn't happen to be doing anything tonight?" she asked me and I inhaled when she grinned at me. "Sorry. I don't usually try to pick guys up at work. It's just been a really hard day."

"Alas, I am taken. If not for that, I'm sure that we would have a night to remember," I said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it before freeing her so she could mix Monique another drink.

"So, who's the lucky lady? Sister of one of those girls?" Cami asked, setting the drink down and then smiling at me.

"No." I picked up the drink. "See the little, pretty one there being serenaded by her friend, it's not official, but we've got a bit of thing." I nodded in Davina's direction and Cami's expression closed off.

"She looks like a kid," Cami told me, bluntly.

"Well, she's quite mature for her age. And she's seventeen. We've got a wee bit of time to allow things to cool off. I'm on my way back to California tomorrow." I said, leaning against the bar. After a brief pause, I smiled. "She's worth the wait. Changing me on a daily basis."

Cami propped her chin on the cradle of her hands. "Wow. Where was a guy like you when I was her age?" she shook her head. "I've got to get back to work."

"Have a good night," I called, heading back to my table, I stopped beside Monique. "Mind if I have my chair back?"

"You can sit down. There's plenty of room for both of us," Monique said, reaching out and placed her hand on my thigh.

"Monique!" Davina cried, baring her teeth at her friend.

My lips twisted into a smirk. "It's alright, darling." Taking Monique by the arm, I pulled her to her feet, walked her over to her seat and gave her a gentle shove. "Here's your drink." Placing the drink down in front of the startled girl, I walked back around the table and sat down next to Davina.

Davina lifted her glass of water to cover her smirk. Cassie jumped in. "How is California?" she asked me.

"It's rather pleasant. I've got a new job, new friends and a nice flat." I sat back and tried not to notice the look of hurt on Davina's face.

"When are you goin' back?" Oliver asked me, his eyes lighting up while a grin appeared on his face.

I felt the urge to take him outside and kick his ass. "I'll be returning tomorrow."

Josh looked at Davina. "Well, I was looking up the club you're working at. It sounds great. Aiden and I are trying to figure out how we can get in. Maybe you could pull some strings, since you know the owner and all."

Davina smiled but her eyes looked sad. I had to stifle the urge to kiss her fears away. "Yeah, Kol, you should talk to Lucien."

I glanced from Josh to Davina. "Of course. I'm sure he won't have a problem. He allowed Nik in, means he'll allow all types of riff-raff in." Laughing, I looked at Josh who rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.

Davina smiled at me, taking my hand under the table and giving it a squeeze. Our moment was interrupted when Monique shot to her feet. "Karaoke!" she shouted, running around the table and grabbing Davina by the arm. Monique dragged my girl to her feet. "We need to sinnnng!" she trilled.

Davina's eyes widened and she looked back at me for help as her friend pulled over to the microphone on the opposite side of the bar. "Hello, everyone, I'm Monique and this Davina, my back-up singer. We're going to sing… Davina, what are we going to sing?" Monique asked, her hand cupped over her mouth, her whispered words booming through the room, thanks to the mic.

Davina shrugged, folding her arms over her chest. "I don't know. This wasn't my idea."

Josh held up his hand, waving to get the girls' attention. "How about some Queen B. "All the Single Ladies," he suggested. Sitting back down, he looked to me. "Everyone loves Beyonce."

I rolled my eyes. "On the contrary, Josh," I began when Monique shook her head.

"That's too old. I'm going to sing Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood,'" she declared.

Moaning, I fell back in my chair. "That's an even worse choice. Oh, my poor ears."

Oliver began to chuckle. "For once I agree with Mikaelson, you know what's wrong with chicks: "chick music?" What is so-called empowering about that crap? Huh?"

"Nothing," I replied. "Would you like a beer?"

Oliver grinned at me. "You buying?"

"Sure," I got to my feet and crossed the floor. Cami had disappeared and I was confronted by a short redhead. She reminded me a tiny bit of Aurora. Some masochistic part of me missed the half-mad, unpredictable girl.

"Could I get a beer?" I called to the girl who nodded and grabbed one, handing it to me. I opened my wallet, paid and went back to the table.

Oliver reached out for the beer after I uncapped it. "Thanks, man," he said, smiling until I lifted the bottle to my lips and took a long sip.

"I asked: do you want one? I never said I'd get one for you," I told the blonde boy who glared at me. Smirking, I turned around in my seat to watch Davina swaying and mouthing lyrics. Monique was so lost in her own sense of self-importance that she did not seem to notice.

As the song came to an end, I got up and moved across the room. Taking hold of a mic, I grinned at the other patrons. "Let's give the ladies a hand, shall we?" I asked, clapping.

Others clapped, with less enthusiasm. Monique tried to take the mic back but I held it out of her reach. "I wasn't done yet!" Monique cried, trying to and failing to pry the microphone out of my hand.

"Monique, please, you're embarrassing yourself and someone's going to realize that you're drunk!" Davina hissed at her friend.

Monique's eyes widened. "You're right! My mom will kill me! I need to go home. Can you give me a ride?" she asked, falling into my arms and looking into my eyes with a wide smile.

Davina looked disgusted, pushing her hair behind her ears and glaring at Monique. "Seriously?" she hissed.

"Come," I said, helping Monique over to the table. "Timothy, Monique needs a ride. Be a dear. Yes? Thank you." Shoving Monique into Tim's lap, I watched Cassie frown and sip at her soda while Tim forced a smile at Monique.

"Why can't you?" Monique asked me, reaching out and grabbing a fist full of my shirt.

Davina looked like she might hit her friend. Her little hands curled into fists, her lips spreading backwards from her teeth. I have to admit, I liked the little jealously she was feeling but this was not the time.

"I have to be going. Promised to have Davina at Marcel's and my sister's for dinner before I return to Los Angeles." I watched Davina relax. "I will see you all again."

Davina took my hand and gave Monique a defiant look. "Bye," she said before she led me out of the bar. We walked to the end of the street before I yanked her into an alleyway and pressed her against a wall. My lips moved to hers and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Kol, can't you stay?" she asked me when we broke apart.

"Trust me, love, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to spend the rest of life doing nothing but kissing you but this is not our time. Not yet," I told her. "Soon enough," I promised, kissing her again.

Davina pulled me closer, pressing her body against my mine and making me lose my restraint as I jerked her up the wall, flattening her against the bricks. "God, Davina, I am going to miss you, darling."

Davina nodded as my lips moved to her neck. "Me, too," she moaned.

We continued to kiss each other for the next ten minutes, lost in our little world, in the shadows when I pulled away from her. Setting her on her feet, I saw the disappointed look on her face, I supposed it probably matched my own.

"Shall we go?" I asked Davina.

Davina nodded. "Yes," she took the arm I offered her and we walked out of the alley. Mixing in with the tourists, we walked down the sidewalks, taking in the sights like those around us, making use of the limited time we had left together.

We took a bus to Algiers, sitting in the back, my arm slung over Davina's shoulders. Nothing else in the world mattered. Just us. Time could stop, we could care less as we watched snow begin to fall outside the window.

The bus pulled to a stop a few blocks from Marcel's place. Davina got off first and I followed her. She took my hand and we made our way forward. I stopped her every so often to place a firm kiss to her lips. She kissed me back with relish. By the time we got inside, it was hard for us to stop kissing until the sound of my sister's voice interrupted us. "Yes! Up the stairs. To the left! Left! I said LEFT!" she shouted. "Dear."

Davina gave me a look and I shrugged. I had grown used to Bekah's tantrums long ago. We headed up the stairs and found Bekah standing two floors above us and two floors below our destination. "Ah, you're here! Marcel will be pleased." She said, flipping her long locks over her shoulder and looking us over, frowning. "Just a couple of little things." Licking her thumb, she moved toward me.

"Stop that!" I cried when she moved to place her wet thumb on my lips. "I never intend on exchanging bodily fluids with you."

"Don't be such a baby, Kol!" Bekah shouted at me. "You're wearing lips gloss for heaven's sake. Do you think Marcel is that stupid?" I stopped allowing my sister to wipe the lip gloss off my lips.

Rebekah then went about straightening Davina's skirts. "Ah, the wrinkles won't be coming out this quickly so we'll just have to hope that Marcel decides to become blind for a night," she muttered, shaking her head. "Right then. Let's go." She marched us up to the apartment.

Marcel pulled the door open and grinned at Davina. "Right on time. I'm shocked," he said, giving me a look.

"I aim to please," I retorted.

Marcel gave me a severe look, his eyes narrowing and his body tensing. Perhaps he intended to beat me up. Let him try. After a tense moment, he moved back to let us in. I noted him accessing the state of Davina's clothing. He gave me another warning look before we moved into the living room.

Davina smiled at me while I assessed the group of people in the room. Marcel's friends and girls that Bekah picked up like stray puppies in a roadside. How sad. My brows rose when I noted the bartender from before: Cami. She stood off to the side, nursing a bottle of beer while a tall chap with an unruly mane of hair stood over her, talking excitedly about something. Cami smiled politely as another friend of Marcel's, the one with the cap joined them with his little girlfriend. I honestly did not miss these people. I only wanted to spend more time with Davina. Alone.

"Don't be a spoil sport. Come! Join the party!" Bekah cried, grabbing my hand and dragging me into the midst of the crowd. "Do be careful with that!" Bekah shouted to a man who brought in a lamp. She frowned until Marcel pressed a glass of wine into her hand. "Thank you, love," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank me later," Marcel said and I wanted to gag as they looked at each other. I could almost see their thoughts.

"Please. My stomach can't take much more of this," I told them, holding my stomach and making a face like I might vomit thanks to their little love fest.

Bekah rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk," she snapped at me, sniffing and walking off.

"Do not leave this room!" Marcel warned me and Davina with a finger jammed in my face.

Davina rolled her eyes but smiled up at her surrogate father. "I promise we won't go anywhere," she told him. Once Marcel had walked a few feet away she added. "Far." Turning to me, she took my hand and led me into the bathroom. "I can't believe you're leaving so soon," she groaned, looping her arms around my neck.

"I'll be back before you know it," I promised her, leaning down and pressing a tender kiss to her lips.

Davina sighed and pulled me closer. "Kol, I want to come with you."

"You can always visit," I replied, rubbing her back and watching her eyes light up.

"Like this weekend?" Davina asked me coyly, titling her head to the side.

I shook my head. "Give me a tiny break. There's only so much self-control a man can have around a little vixen like you, Davina Claire."

Davina began to giggle and I cupped her face, kissing her softly until she stopped laughing. A knock on the door startled us out of our little paradise. "I need to pee!" a familiar voice shouted.

"Of course," I sighed, opening the door, I glowered at Hayley who brushed past me. I took Davina's hand and led her out of the room. Thankfully Elijah was talking to Marcel so Marcel did not see Davina and I leaving the bathroom.

"Hey there," Cami called, hurrying over to us. "I haven't seen you two in awhile," she cried, throwing her arms around my neck. "Save me!" she cried into my ear.

I felt amused and found that Marcel's friends had abandoned her to some idiot in leather pants and blouse looking shirt.

Davina looked from me to Cami. "I can't believe we missed you!" she cried, taking Cami's hand and leading her away from the creeper with bad taste. "Were you just talking to Count Dracula?" she asked with a laugh.

Cami rolled her eyes. "After that conversation, I think I would have preferred the biting."

I grinned. "Kinky little thing."

Cami laughed. "Not my usual thing. Sorry about ruining your time together."

"It's okay. We probably need a chaperone," I told the blonde.

Marcel decided to interrupt us again. "Hey guys, see you're making new friends. Kol, have you met Cami. She works at Rousseau's and is over the age of twenty. Cami, this is Kol. His mental age is about twelve but he's an okay guy, if you don't mind jackasses."

"We've already met," Cami said drily. "And he's taken."

"As is Marcel," Bekah snapped, coming over and looping an arm through Marcel's, giving Cami a lethal look.

Now this just became more interesting and I would love to see how it played out but I wanted to get a dance or two with my girl before saying good-bye to the Big Easy. "Davina, do me the honor of a dance, darling?"

Davina grinned at me. "Of course," she said, taking my hand and we moved to an empty space. Someone was kind enough to turn on some music and we began to sway.

I watched those who I would not be seeing for some time: Elijah and Hayley talking to her bump. Rebekah glaring daggers at Cami. Marcel trying to keep the peace between his girlfriend and his "friend" or whatever she turned out to be. My eyes returned to Davina's. "I will miss you most of all, Davina," I whispered to her.

"Not as much as I'm going to miss you," Davina said. She leaned up on tip-toe to kiss me in front of this lot of fools and I kissed her back, not giving a damn what anyone else in the world thought.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answers to guest reviews:**

 **Princess: Anna will appear in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get that up sometime next month.**

 **Kay: Thank you. I think I can work in some Kol/Klaus brotherly love in the next chapter.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, my lovely readers! Kol's back in California and he has some unwelcome surprises coming his way. On with the show…**

Chapter 13: You've Been Replaced

Clothes still lay in my hamper from where I hadn't bothered with the laundry before leaving. An odd smell came from the sink. Had I forgotten to empty that cereal bowl? Voicemails were on my machine; mostly unwanted solicitors. My mail made me roll my eyes. Come-ons from credit card companies and whichever bloody name Time Warner had switched themselves, too. Yes, not much had changed since I went back to New Orleans for a brief visit.

A knock sounded on my door. I dropped my bag on the floor and strode over to answer. " _Kol_!" Klaus snapped once I opened the door and my brother stormed inside.

"What is it, Nik?" I replied. I had to be off to work in the next five hours and would like to take a nap.

Klaus whirled around to face me. "Did you _know_ that your employer has recruited Caroline on a little trip, out-of-the-country?" My brother's eyebrows rose and his eyes glowed with wrath.

" _Lucien_?" I felt confused. Aurora hadn't mentioned that during our brief chat the other day. "I'm sure there's a mix-up. Let me talk to him." Frankly, I did not really care at that moment about Klaus' newest bird. I simply wanted to get some much-needed rest for the wicked. However, I would say almost anything to reassure my brother that I would do my utmost to help him in his time of need.

Klaus examined me under hooded eyelids. "It is _too_ late. They've _already_ left." I could hear the resentment in his voice and knew that he would not be going anywhere, anytime soon. Soon he would be crying on my couch. Blasted hell. Then he would be yelling, threatening me for having taken the job which—need I remind him was his bloody fault—he wanted me out of his flat, he got me out of his flat. How was I to know that my new boss would fancy my brother's bird?

"Nik," I said, crossing the room and placing a heavy hand on my brother's shoulder. "You know what I _always_ say about getting over a bird?" I grinned at Klaus. "Get on another."

Rolling his eyes at me, Klaus knocked my hands off of his shoulders and stomped over to my couch. "She is _not_ just another girl in my bed, Kol… This was the woman that I could see my future with…" His words came out dully and I felt a pang of guilt which I shouldn't have since this was not my fault.

" _Right_. Well, she couldn't be, otherwise she wouldn't have gone off with Lucien to… What exactly is it that she'd doing with Lucien?" I felt confusion and jet-lag competing to knock me on my arse.

Klaus's head fell back on the couch. "He's convinced her she should become a _singer_. He wants her to quit working for the news and go on a _bloody_ _tour_. He told her that he knows _people_."

"People, out-of-the-country?" I paused, feeling confused myself. "There are plenty of people in the music industry _here_. Why would they need to leave The States?"

"My point _exactly_!" Klaus thundered, jumping to his feet. "This is _not_ about music, Kol, but Caroline _wouldn't_ _listen_ to a blasted word I said. _All_ she could talk about was all the cities in Europe that Lucien planned on taking her to visit. I could bloody well do that for her, but, _no_ , she had to go _right_ _bloody_ _now_!"

"Why don't we go out?" I suggested, walking over to the door.

Klaus shook his head. "I would _prefer_ to stay here."

My shoulders fell. I would really prefer to get out of here and find something to distract Niklaus from whatever his girl had gotten herself into. I knew that Lucien did things that I did not want to know about or to be a part of. If those things now included Caroline—God help the girl.

My cell began to ring and I pulled it out of my pants' pocket and glanced at the screen. Looking at Klaus, I shoved it back into my pocket. "Aren't you going to answer?" my brother questioned me. "It might be your master, asking you to fetch someone else's beloved. Perhaps he's done with mine." Klaus' sarcasm made me regret having opened the door to him.

"It's Vincent, actually." I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and called him back. "Vincent, I _just_ returned and _already_ you're hounding me? Need me to carry some heavy boxes about?"

Vincent let out a sarcastic laugh. "No, man, I'm calling because one of our new people came up missing and we're short-staffed. Mind coming in early?" I heard the sound of a familiar laugh in the background.

"Ask Aurora if she's like to help out," I retorted.

Letting out a humorless chuckle, Vincent snapped back. "Look, Kol, I've got enough on my plate since you left. Either you're coming in, or I'm going to have to start looking around for some new blood."

"Alright. _Alright_. Don't get your panties in a twist," I sighed. "I've got a bit of a family situation at the moment but I'll try to be there soon." Hanging up, I shoved my phone into my pocket and looked at Klaus.

"Lover's quarrel?" Klaus questioned me with a smirk.

"No. I'm needed at the club. You should come with me," I told Klaus who sneered at me.

" _Yes_. I do so _relish_ the idea of coming to the club owned by the man who ran off with my…Caroline…" Klaus shook his head. "I can think of a _thousand_ places I would rather be. Hell—for instance—I hear they have lovely weather this time of year."

"Oh, come, now, brother," I scoffed. "There will be alcohol and pretty ladies to weep your broken heart out to." Walking over to the couch, I leaned over my brother. "Do you honestly believe that Caroline is sitting around; moping over you?"

A flash of rage came over Klaus' face and I believed that he would hit me when his rage melted and a smile appeared in its place. "Yes, Kol, _you're_ _right_. I _should_ go to the club." Getting to his feet, Nik followed me to the door and out into the hallway. "Why should I wait on Caroline to return when there are so many other, more deserving women who will not take flight the moment someone places a lovely notion in their mind."

"That _is_ the spirit, Nik," I replied, slapping Klaus on the back. We headed down the stairs and out of the door.

"And since Lucien is away, I say that whoever is in charge should have a little party," Klaus added. "It's that Aurora girl?" I saw a sparkle in my brother's eye and knew where his mind had led him. Oh, yes, this is where he would embark on an elaborate revenge plot. I would ordinarily join him, and relish in whatever devious machinations that Klaus would get up to, but I now had Davina to think of, and, unlike Klaus, I knew what Lucien was capable of doing, to both of us.

 _Kolvina &Kolvina&Kolivina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina_

Once we got the club I found that, it, too, had barely changed. Everything seemed to be exactly as I left it, with one minor exception. " _Anna_?" Aurora shouted from the stage. My friend sat on the stage, her legs dangling out of a tiny black skirt. "I _need_ a _drink_!" Aurora's voice echoed through the silence of the club.

"Yes, ma'am!" Anna called. I assumed the person speaking was Anna although I didn't see anyone at the bar where the voice came from. Then a girl popped up, her long black hair falling over her shoulders. Her cheeks burned as she hurriedly put together a drink; dropping a cherry into it with a tiny splash. The girl came out from behind the counter in a short black dress and half-ran to Aurora. "Here."

"Looks like you've been replaced," Klaus told me.

Narrowing my eyes, I gave Klaus a withering look and then I headed over to the stage. "Aurora, did you miss me, love?" I called up to Aurora who had laid down, her drink balanced on her stomach as she stared at the ceiling.

Anna looked up at me, offered an innocent smile and then hurried back behind the bar. Aurora suddenly sat up, sending her martini glass flying and spilling alcohol over her lap. "Oh, _look_ at what you made me do, Kol?" she snapped, pouting at me. Then, with a quick flick of her wrist, she flicked the glass off her lap and onto the floor.

I looked at the broken glass at my feet and then up at Aurora who glowered at me. "You made me spill my drink," she snapped at me, a frown marring her features.

"Let me help you with that," Klaus said, coming over to us with a handful of napkins. He began to dab at the spill with a smirk that made most women wilt. Aurora examined him before a smirk of her own appeared.

"You're the brother… _Klaus_?" Aurora's eyes flicked to me and she wrapped her arms around Nik's neck. "Be a dear and help me down. I need to get out this skirt." Klaus easily lifted her off the stage and I watched them; my stomach beginning to twist.

"And what shall you wear?" Klaus questioned Aurora.

"Perhaps I shall prance around in my knickers," Aurora teased him. "Seeing as Lucien does not purchase clothes in my size for the help. I am _rather_ petite," Aurora said, her eyes lowering to the floor and then moving back up to meet Klaus.' Nothing good could come from this.

"Aurora, might I suggest going home and fetching something else to wear?" I questioned her.

Aurora heaved a sigh, turning back to look up at me, "It seems as if Kol has become _dull_ since he ran off to play with his _little_ _girl_ in New Orleans." Smirking at Klaus, she added. "And I do _hate_ a dull man. Fancy coming 'round to my place and helping me decide on a new outfit?"

"I think it would be better if _Anna_ helped you out," I said at the same time that Klaus opened his mouth to reply. "Nik can help me around here." Grabbing Klaus, I turned him around and pushed him toward the bar. "Anna, is it?" I called.

Anna looked up at me through wide eyes. "Yes?" she called back.

"Aurora has a bit of a fashion emergency that she needs your help with," I told my replacement who dried her hands and moved from behind the counter. I watched with satisfaction as Aurora pinned me with a look of irritation before leading Anna out of the club. That would keep the trouble down for now.

"Kol!" Vincent called from the back of the club. He waved a hand at me.

"Serve yourself, Nik," I told my brother who shrugged and I took off for the back of the club.

Vincent looked stressed out. "Look, man, I need you to cover for me for tonight."

" _What_?" I felt confused. "I thought you said you were short-handed."

"We are," Vincent said. "But Eva has taken off somewhere, and I've got to find her, man." The look of desperation on Vincent's face made me soften.

"Go. I'll take care of the place." I waved him off with a smile.

"Cool. Thanks, man. I owe you one," Vincent patted me on the arm and then took off through the back entrance.

I walked back to the bar, where Nik stood, drink in hand, and a sour look on his face. "Nik, I might need a bit of help tonight," I told my brother who shook his head.

"If you think that I am going to lower myself to serving drinks to the masses, you've lost your mind, Kol," Klaus replied, walking back around the counter and taking a seat on a stool. "I'd rather go home and live with Mother and Father for a month."

"Will you at least not flirt with Aurora?" I snapped, checking the inventory behind the bar while talking. When Klaus did not reply; I looked back at him. Klaus was staring at something behind my head.

"What is _that_?" Klaus demanded.

Turning around, I looked at the pictures that someone had placed on the mirror. My eyes trailed over the photos of patrons and some of the people who worked at the bar. Then my eyes fell on one that made my heart leap in my chest. Davina? How in the hell had a picture of Davina Claire ended up in here? Plucking the pic down, I examined it. It looked recent. Within the last month, given the sweater dress and jacket she wore. She smiled at the photographer, her smile making my stomach roll once more.

"Isn't that _Davina_?" Klaus asked me as I continued to examine the photo.

"Yes. It is," I replied. "And this was taken in the French Quarter. Who in the bloody hell took this photo?" I wondered aloud. Turning it over, I saw Davina's handwriting. "Thanks for your contribution," it read. She's included a heart and a three tiny x-s. Whose contribution? To what? Now, I wished I were in New Orleans so I could ask her.

"Looks as if I'm not the only one being played for a fool, brother," Klaus said, pulling a bottle and a glass from behind the counter before pouring me a drink.

I barely registered my fingers closing around the shot glass. The liquid burned down my throat and I shoved it back toward Klaus who refilled it.

"Hey, I'm here!" a voice called as a young man came through the doors.

"Who the blasted hell are _you_?" I demanded. My fury was getting the better of me and the drink might have gone to my head since I had not eaten in hours.

"Jeremy Gilbert," the man said, coming over to the counter and eying me. "Is Vincent around?"

"No." My flat answer made Jeremy look confused.

"Okay. Well, this is my first day and Vincent said he'd show me the ropes so…" Jeremy leaned against the counter. "Any idea what I'm supposed to do now?"

I inhaled sharply, pocketing the photo of Davina and looking around the club. "Vincent left me in charge. Looks as if you'll be stuck with me showing you the ropes, mate."

Jeremy shrugged. "Cool."

At least now I would have something to take my mind off my brother trying to get us both murdered and the mystery surrounding my girl.

 _Kolvina &Kolvina&Kolivina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina&Kolvina_

Time flew by and soon the girls returned. "We're back!" Aurora cried out and my eyes flew up from the clipboard in my hand. If I were the man I were before I found myself in love with Davina—Aurora's outfit would have me dragging her into the back room. Fortunately, I had turned over a new leaf.

My brother seemed to be more susceptible to Aurora's charms. His eyes moved over her mid-drift baring, strappy, black top and red skirt that barely covered her knickers. A grin appeared on Aurora's face as she walked over to the bar and took Klaus' drink from him and took a sip. "Hmm… _Delicious_ ," she murmured, licking the rim of the glass.

"Ahem," I called, eyeing Aurora. "Aurora, have you met Jeremy?"

Aurora looked at Jeremy with a smile. "Oh, _yes_. How do you do?" she asked Jeremy with a giggle.

Jeremy shrugged. "I'm okay. Hey, Anna," he called to my replacement.

"Hi, Jeremy," Anna said, blushing a crimson color that made me smile before she walked behind the counter. "Where do you need me?" she asked.

"I'm going to need you to play hostess since Eva is off to God knows where," I replied, glancing at the clipboard again.

"I'm bored," Aurora exclaimed. "When is the entertainment coming in?" she asked me with a pout.

"Soon, darling," I retorted, setting my board down. "Can we have a quick chat?"

Aurora rolled her eyes. "If we must." She waited for me to walk around the bar top and followed me to the storage room. I closed the door behind us. "Oh, I see things aren't going so well with your little sweetheart if you're sneaking off with me; now are they?" she teased me, wrapping her arms around my neck and leaning forward to kiss me.

"Aurora," I began, moving back, and taking her hands, moving them downward, to rest at her sides. "I do like you, very much, but I did _not_ bring you back here for _that_."

Aurora's eyes clouded over and she sucked in a deep breath before taking a step away from me. " _Right_. What _do_ you want from me, Kol?"

"I want you to _not_ do anything with Klaus. _Please_. Don't play your little games with him. He's suffering from a broken heart. His girl just left him and he's in pain." I watched Aurora turn away from me before slipping her hand into one of the open boxes. She removed a glass from it.

Turning toward me, Aurora began to spin the glass between her fingers. "Do you know how fragile a human life really is, Kol?" she asked me, looking at me through her eyelashes. "Take this glass for instance." She held it up in the palm of her hand. "It's pretty, is it not?" I nodded. "Yes. It is pretty. But it is also _delicate_. You see, if one were to let it slip through their fingers," she took her free hand and tipped the glass over with her index finger before rolling it to the end of her splayed fingers so the glass lay, precariously, on the tips of her fingers. "All it would take is…a _little_ _push_ ," she rolled the glass over the edge and I watched it fall to the floor and shatter. "And, then, we see just how _fragile_ life _truly_ is."

"What is this demonstration supposed to be telling me, Aurora?" I demanded, stepping over the glass and grabbing her by the upper arms.

"Oh, Kol, you know better than that, don't you?" Aurora asked me, her eyes glittering. "You know how fragile and precious life is? You know. _You_ _know_." Tears began to run down her cheeks and I wrapped my arms around her; holding her close. "You know what I mean, _don't_ _you_?"

Aurora continued to weep until a knock at the door made her pause and dry her eyes. "Yes?" she called in a bright voice.

"The band's here," Anna called through the door.

"I'll be there in a minute," Aurora called back.

Looking down at Aurora, I placed my hands on her cheeks. "Who is _danger_ , Aurora?" I asked her quietly.

" _All_ _of_ _us_ ," she told me, squeezing my arm and then a smile appeared. "So we shall eat, drink and be merry." She pulled away from me and let out a laugh before heading for the door.

Warily, I headed back to the bar. Klaus had found another bottle. Jeremy was looking around for who knew what. Anna followed Aurora around, writing something down on an iPad while Aurora spoke to the band and then waved her arms around the club. "This will be a night that no one will _ever_ forget," Aurora announced, turning to me and winking. Something about her words made me regret that I did not stay in New Orleans.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Answer to guest review:**

 **Guest: Thank you! I hope that you enjoy this chapter, too!**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, my lovely readers! TO is back, Kolvina got married, and we didn't get to see it. *Shakes head.* And I am back with another new chapter, and, hopefully, it will not take nearly as long to get to Chap. 15. On with the show…**

Chapter 14: Endless Night: Part I

Chaos. It was utter chaos. The band's bass played at an earsplitting level. Drinks splashed on the floor while the revelers cheered. Confused staff milled about— seemingly having forgotten the tasks at hand. Aurora stood in the middle of a crowd, swaying atop a very high table and Kol could figure out the precise origin of the table but he knew what Lucien would do to him if his fiancée was injured.

"Shit," Kol groaned when yet another customer spilled his drink over the bed, the liquid creating a pool that he slid in on his way around the corner. "Nik, cover me!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"What?" Klaus shouted back.

Kol peered back at his brother whose attention was entirely focused on a smiling blonde woman. Blinking rapidly, Kol scowled and decided to tell his brother that the woman was a female impersonator before Klaus left the bar with her. Thrusting his body forward, he pushed past the mass of bodies that pressed against his and cursed them quite thoroughly.

"Come on! Out of my way! I have a lady to rescue!" Kol ordered people who attempted to drag him into some type of dance that simply involved grinding their bodies together. "This is not the time!" he groaned under his breath. Not that they could hear him if her were shouting at the top of his lungs.

There was a time—not that long ago, in fact—that Kol would not only have thrown himself into the middle of this scene; he would have been the cause of its existence. However, he had put those days behind him. He was a changed man, thanks to Davina Claire. For her he would give up his past and only look toward a happy future, with her by his side… when the time was right.

"Aurora!" Kol shouted up at Aurora who tilted to and fro. Her heels tipped dangerously close to one edge of the table, then the other while she laughed, her head falling backward.

"Blasted hell! Get down from there!" Kol shouted at the redhead.

Aurora grinned down at him. "Why don't you join me? It would do you some good to loosen up? Enjoy the night." Holding out a hand to him, she tried to pull him up and he tried to pull her down.

The tiny woman refused to allow him to get off the tabletop. "Get him up here! Will you lot!" she cried to the crowd, clasping her hands in front of her with a pout. The crowd around Kol seemed to be pleased by the idea and he became annoyed with them when he felt fingers digging into his arms, attempting to lift him into the air. "Get off of me!" he demanded, smacking at hands as more hands moved to replace those who retreated. Soon his body moved upward and he found himself atop the table.

"There you are, love. Now, isn't this better!" Aurora enthused, turning and running her body up and down his in a manner that made him react against his will.

"Damn it, Aurora! This is not funny!" Kol snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around to stare into her eyes. "This is my job at stake!"

"Oh, it's much more than that, darling," Aurora whispered into his ear. Her fingers entangled in his hair. "Be a dear and dance with me."

"Lucien would kill me, and possibly you if he came in here tonight," Kol reminded her.

"Oh, then it is truly a pity that we have the club to ourselves," Aurora ran her lips over his neck and Kol pulled back. "Aurora, you know that I can't."

"You can. For one night," Aurora told him. "Now, drink this." She bent down and snagged a drink off a passing tray and offered it to Kol who shook his head. "Please." She pouted up at him.

Kol shook his head. "I am on-duty."

"Fine. More for me," Aurora started to down the drink when Kol took it from her and downed it.

"Happy?" Kol inquired, feeling the drink's effects already.

"Very," Aurora clapped her hands together. "Another!" she cried, waving to the waiter.

"No." Kol held up a hand. "I've got Nik behind the bar and I don't think he's actually serving anyone." He glanced over his shoulder to his brother who gave the blonde he'd been talking to a dreamy look. Oh, this would not end well. Probably end with Nik trying to beat Kol to a bloody pulp.

"Klaus seems happy. I am happy. And you should be happy, too," Aurora said, slipping her arms around his neck and leaning against him, her head falling on his shoulder. "Just pretend that I'm your girl and things will be better, for both of us."

"I can't," Kol protested, feeling his head becoming lighter.

"Drinks!" Aurora cried and she pulled away, grabbing a pair of drinks in some kind of florescent color. "Here's to us. May this night never end!" she cheered, knocking her drink back and offering Kol another.

Kol hesitated and then took the drink. Knocking it back, he shook his head. He used to party with a crowd as loud and crazier than this lot but these drinks were doing something to him and he wasn't quite sure that he liked it, but he wasn't sure he didn't.

"Another!" Aurora cried and Kol began to laugh.

"Yes," Kol agreed and this time he bent down to collect them, and he drank both. "Oh, dear. Sorry about that," he told Aurora, not feeling in the least bit sorry.

"There's lots more!" Aurora cried with a loud giggle. "And the night is long from over."

~0~

Somewhere between drinks Kol had decided to join the band, on-stage and someone now wore his shirt. With a guitar on his chest, Kol strummed notes and sang into a mic while the crowd roared in front of him. Klaus sat on a stool, shaking his head, his arm wrapped around a blonde who had begun to resemble Caroline Forbes to Kol over the course of the night. She had a nice smile and she waved a lighter as Kol sang something about a brown haired girl he loved at home.

"Good show," the leader of the band said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Kol said, grinning.

"Can I get my guitar back, man!" a guy in leather inquired.

Kol nodded and offered the man his guitar. "Thank you. You've been truly lovely," Kol told the guitarist, hugging him. "I'll send you a Christmas card."

"Okay," the guitarist strapped his instrument on and began to play as Kol stumbled over to the end of the stage.

A little black haired girl came over to him. "Kol!" she hissed, her expression frantic. "There are people serving themselves. What do we do?" she cried, her dark eyes full of anxiety.

Kol smiled, cupping his hands around her cute, little face. "You worry far too much for such a young, pretty girl. Have a drink, dance and enjoy the night." He waved at the dance floor.

The girl's eyes darted from the dance floor where people were still writhing, laughing and making the night their own. "But I'll get fired," she told him.

"Oh, come now, love. The boss is out. No one here to tell us what to do," Kol found Jeremy Gilbert wandering around with a tray in hand. "See, there is young Jeremy. You should dance with him. He looks like he needs it as much you do."

"But," the girl said, looking confused. "I have to work."

"No more buts." Kol pushed her toward Jeremy and then moved back to the bar.

Striding behind the bar, Kol looked around at the people who had begun to serve themselves. "Don't forget to tip!" he called to them.

A pair of arms slipped around his waist and Kol turned to find Aurora. "Feeling better, darling?" she mumbled into his skin.

"Never better," Kol replied, grinning and turning to embrace her.

"Where is your shirt?" Aurora said, running her hands over his chest.

"He gave it to some groupie," Klaus called from the other side of the bar. "Everyone. This is Maxie. She's helping me with my troubles."

"Looks like more trouble to me," Kol replied as Aurora moved in front him to lean against the bar, propping her chin up with one hand. Kol pressed into her, enjoying the feeling of human warmth. He'd forgotten how much he liked being touched.

"Maxie told me that Caroline is a fool if she doesn't come back to me," Klaus told them.

"She is." Aurora nodded sagely while running a hand up and down Kol's arm.

"And what is this about?" Klaus asked, waving a hand at Kol and Aurora. "Thought you were coming home with me tonight." He gave them a look and Kol really had no idea if he meant Kol or Aurora.

Aurora giggled. "Sharing is a nice family trait."

"Sharing love is too much for most families," Maxie told them, biting into an olive.

Klaus let out a snort. "My family know nothing about love."

"We do, too!" Kol snapped.

Aurora let out another giggle. "Love will destroy the best of us." She glanced back at Kol. "But there is more to life, like simple pleasure," she eyed Kol, her hips moving against him and Kol gritted his teeth.

Klaus let out a laugh. "Oh, my. Little brother. You've really dug a deep hole for yourself this time. What with one girl here and the other…"

"Shut your bloody mouth, brother," Kol snarled. A vision of Davina's face flooded his memory and he backed away from Aurora. Turning, he found himself, lost in the crowd as he pushed himself toward the back of the club. He found the men's room for the employees and took a seat on the cool tiles of the floor. The wall felt cold against his back and the world moved in a slow circle around him.

"Davina," Kol cried out and then he heard the door open and close.

"Kol?" a soft voice called to him and he looked up. It couldn't be. And still. It was. Davina Claire.

"Davina!" Kol said, not believing his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Davina asked him, moving to kneel before him.

"Darling," Kol said, reaching out and cupping her face between his hands. "I miss you and I have only been gone a short time."

"I missed you, too. Why do you think I'm here?" Davina's smile brightened the room and Kol pushed himself up from his slouching posture. Her hand brushed his cheek and he leaned into the feel of her. "What are you doing in here?"

"I had to get away. Its sheer mayhem out there," Kol told her, closing his eyes. "I needed to rest.

"Okay." Davina moved to sit down beside him. He laid his head in her lap, feeling her fingers beginning to run through his short locks. "You can go to sleep now," Davina whispered into his ear. "Just rest." Kol nodded, pressing his face into her stomach and wishing to never be anywhere in the world that she was not by his side.

"Never leave me again, Davina," Kol murmured, feeling sleep tugging at him.

"You left me, remember," Davina replied, her lips soft on his cheek, her fingers tenderly running the length of his back. "You keep leaving me, Kol Mikaelson, but I love you and I will always find you."

"I won't leave again, Davina," Kol whispered.

"Promise?" Davina's voice came from far away, penetrating his consciousness. "Say: I promise, I will never leave you again."

"I promise you, Davina, I will never leave your side again," Kol said, his eyes opening to take in hers, one more time and the smile she bestowed on him made him feel unworthy before he fell to sleep.

~0~

"Hey, buddy," a voice called to Kol through the fugue and black cloud hovering over his eyelids, willing them to stay closed. The feeling of a hand on his arm, shaking him awake made Kol groan, lashing his arm outward. A feeling of satisfaction swelled inside him when he felt his arm connect with flesh and bone. _Stay_ _away_ , he silently warned the intruder.

"Dude, just leave him alone," another voice called. "He's just a drunken idiot."

A sudden kick to his solar plexus made Kol's stomach clench and he felt vomit fill his throat. "Right, then," he choked out. Opening his blurry eyes, he glared up into the face of a man who stood over him.

The man laughed down at him and moved to kick him again when Kol pushed himself to his knees. As the man's foot came toward his face, Kol caught it and wrenched it to the left. The fool let out a scream of pain. His body fell to the floor while Kol glared at the other man who held up his hands.

"Right, then." Kol grinned down at the real "drunken idiot" and continued to twist his foot. "You'll be paying a nice tip to whichever waiter or waitress has made the horrible mistake of serving you tonight and then you will leave the premises."

"Screw you," the man-who-would-be-leaving-minus-a foot-if-he-did-not-learn-some-manners replied.

He let out a howl of pain when Kol suddenly wrenched said foot in the air and into a rather awkward, one-hundred and eighty degree angle. "You were saying, darling," Kol inquired, cupping his ear and waiting for more comments that would lead to more screaming.

"Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. Let me go!" the man wailed as Kol pushed the leg one-two-three more degrees.

"Good." Kol stood up and looked around himself. "I've got a business to maintain." Moving past the other man who looked pale, Kol entered the destruction of his workplace. "Dear God!" he muttered, frowning at the broken glass, couples trying to mate on the dance floor, and Aurora having stripped down to her knickers, dancing about atop that blasted table once more.

"Nik!" Kol shouted when he felt an arm go around his neck and begin to choke him. "You thought you could just going to walk away from that?" a voice snarled in his ear and Kol turned to find that his friend from the bathroom seemed to have come with a fraternity full of chums. "Wonderful," Kol grunted.

A punch to his stomach made Kol wish that he'd made a two—make that ten less drinks earlier. "Enough!" he roared, before rearing back and slugging the man who had punched him in the face.

"What in the bloody hell?" Klaus' voice sounded as another man punched Kol in the jaw and Kol swore before he swung, having no idea whose cheekbone he just made contact with and not truly caring so long as they were on the other side, Kol felt happy for a fleeting second before someone leapt on him. "Little help would be nice, brother!" Kol shouted to Klaus.

Second later, Kol saw the back of Klaus as his brother donned a wicked grin and began to fight off three men who were twice his size. "Come on then," Klaus shouted at the men. "I don't think you're even trying."

Kol remembered when they were young and he'd lost a Little League baseball game and some older boys followed him home. His team had lost because Kol was having an off day. He should have stayed at home—recovering from a bout of the stomach flu but insisted on going—against his mother's wishes. He also insisted on walking home, feeling dejected about the game.

The older boys had bet some money on the game and lost out. In their wrath, they'd blamed Kol and were intent on beating him senseless when his brothers, Klaus, Elijah and even Finn came out to find out what the shouting was about. Fifteen minutes later, and their father coming outside with a baseball bat, had sent the older boys fleeing for their mother's aprons.

"Get him!" the man who Kol had most likely done some real damage to in the bathroom roared—from the safety of stool= at his pals.

More of the men moved to assist the ones who were trying to beat Kol. Then a flash of red hair came into sight and Aurora leapt into the fray, brandishing a broken beer bottle. "Get out of my club!" she shouted at them. "Or it will be the last thing you lot will be doing!"

A few of the men who had Klaus pinned to the bar top glanced from Aurora to their buddy at the bar. "I would do what she said," Maxie told them, crossing her legs and examining them with a cocked eyebrow. "I heard her fiancée has been known to have men found and bits of them were found, in and around the Bay Area, if ever."

Silence descended on the room while Jeremy stood, a baseball bat in his hand and a worried look on his face. Anna stood beside him, a cell phone clutched in her palm like a weapon.

"Fine," the guy from the bathroom said and two of his friends helped him up. "This place sucks anyway."

"Ahem!" Aurora called. The men stopped and looked at her. "You owe me money for the drinks." She held out a hand with a smile, waiting for them to ante up.

Letting out a series of snorts and vulgar insults, the men withdrew various denominations and dropped them to the floor. "Keep the change, bitch," bathroom boy snarled.

"I intend to," Aurora called after them. When the men had left, she smiled at those who remained. "Well, not so bad for my first night running this place. Now," she climbed on a stool and grabbed a bottle before hopping back down. "Who would like to take this party back to my place?" Her eyes glittered as she looked around at the others.

"The night's not over," Maxie told them. "And poor Klaus needs some ice for that eye."

Klaus' eye had begun to swell from some fool's right hook. "Right," he said, slinging an arm around the shoulders of his new friend. "Shall we?"

Kol got to his feet and followed the others out the door. After the fight, he could not imagine how this night could become worse. He just wished his dream had turned out to be reality and that Davina Claire were there with him.

 **Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.**

 **Princess: I'm happy you enjoyed Jer's and Anna's appearances. Sorry about the really, really long wait.**

 **Peace,**

 **Jessica**


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